Justin Gest explores why many Western Muslims are disaffected, why others are engaged, and why some seek to undermine the very political system that remains their primary means of inclusion. Based on research conducted in London's East End and Madrid's Lavapies district, and drawing on over one hundred interviews with community elders, imams, extremists, politicians, gangsters, and ordinary people just trying to get by, Apart maps the daily experiences of young Muslim men. Confronting conventional explanations that point to inequality, discrimination, and religion, Gest builds a new theory that distinguishes alienated and engaged political behavior not by structural factors but by the interpretation of shared realities by social agents. Sounding an unambiguous warning to Western policymakers, he presages an imminent American encounter with the same challenges. The way in which governments and people discipline their fear and understand their Muslim fellows, Gest claims, may shape the course of democratic social life in the foreseeable future.
Justin Gest explores why many Western Muslims are disaffected, why others are engaged, and why some seek to undermine the very political system that remains their primary means of inclusion. Based on research conducted in London's East End and Madrid's Lavapies district, and drawing on over one hundred interviews with community elders, imams, extremists, politicians, gangsters, and ordinary people just trying to get by, Apart maps the daily experiences of young Muslim men. Confronting conventional explanations that point to inequality, discrimination, and religion, Gest builds a new theory that distinguishes alienated and engaged political behavior not by structural factors but by the interpretation of shared realities by social agents. Sounding an unambiguous warning to Western policymakers, he presages an imminent American encounter with the same challenges. The way in which governments and people discipline their fear and understand their Muslim fellows, Gest claims, may shape the course of democratic social life in the foreseeable future.
Gest's carefully researched and well-argued Apart brings fresh perspective to the question of Muslim alienation in Europe. His valuable methodological insights and judicious conclusions have a wide application. -- Bhikhu Parekh, London School of Economics, author of Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory
Justin Gest is a Harvard College Fellow in the Department of Government at Harvard University. He is cofounder and serves as deputy director of the Migration Studies Unit at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he is also a research associate at LSE Global Governance.
Gest has written a thoughtful and compelling book on why some Muslims in the West feel disenchanted and angry with our political institutions while others do not. He offers a subtle account based on new theoretical work and original case studies. A major contribution by a new voice in academic debate. -- David Held, London School of Economics Justin Gest gives us a window into the diversity and complexity of European Muslim communities in a way few works have. His book delves deep into the demands of modern citizenship, engagement, and layered identities, and his conclusions are at once intuitive and profound. The themes of this book will help define how a thriving democracy functions in the twenty-first century. -- Dalia Mogahed, former advisor to President Barack Obama for Faith-Based Partnerships and executive director, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies Among this book's most disturbing findings is how little may separate democratic 'engagement' from radical 'anti-system' opposition. Its strength is its unique combination of analytic acumen and rich ethnographic description of second-generation Muslim lives in Madrid and London. -- Christian Joppke, American University in Paris An excellent piece of work. Balanced and judicious, with very interesting findings both on a comparative basis and a generational one. -- Anthony Giddens, London School of Economics [ Apart] deserves to be widely read. -- Tahir Abbas Global Policy Vol 2, No 1
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