Seminar: Martijn de Koning – Universiteit van Amsterdam

‘For the sake of the children’ – Styles of advocacy among Dutch Muslims at the nexus of racialization and secularism after 1989

> Since 1989 the culture and religion of immigrants and their offspring from Muslim majority countries have been increasingly problematized in debates and policies regarding integration and (after 9/11) counter-radicalization. At the same time politicians and opinion leaders have emphasized the identity of a liberal and secular country based upon Judeo-Christian heritage. Based upon my current research of public interventions by Muslims after 1989, I will analyse how Muslims in the public debates have responded to that particular situation. I will in particular focus on the institutionalization of Islam in 1990s, the discourse of moderate vs radical Islam and the attempts to put Islamophobia on the political agenda. As such with this lecture I want to contribute to debates on racialization, secularism and advocacy and in particular how they intersect and influence those who claim a Muslim voice.

Martijn de Koning
Universiteit van Amsterdam

Seminars are open to the general public, registration is not necessary.