SAMA · Spaces of Anti-Muslim Acts in the Greater Paris and Greater London regions
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-05-01 → 2018-04-30
- EU contribution
- €183,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-CAR
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Spaces of Anti-Muslim Acts in the Greater Paris and Greater London regions
The SAMA (Spaces of Anti-Muslim Acts) project focuses on people who are discriminated against because of their real or perceived religious faith, and its main goal is to show the impact of persistent Islamophobic incidents on spaces and people. This project is important and innovative because over several years Islamophobic incidents have been increasing, and in the academic world there are few studies about the geography of Islamophobia. As geographers, we wanted to show that Islamophobia could also be read spatially, and that anti-Muslim acts may occur in some spaces and not in others. Indeed, everyday public spaces are significant when it comes to experiences of anti-Muslim discrimination as the hostility directed at Muslim communities in many European countries tends to manifest itself in busy public spaces such as in transport hubs and close to religious building. We focus on Paris and London because they are two European countries which reported a large number of Muslim populations and a high rate of Islamophobic acts. The unprecendented rise of Islamophobic acts, for example just after the Charlie Hebdo attack or the London Bridge attack, shows that Islamophobia is a growing concern, and therefore the comparison between Paris and London is very relevant. By analyzing the spatial effects of Islamophobia, we seek to assess the impacts of anti-Muslim discrimination in France and the United Kingdom. Through the SAMA project, we identify the spaces where anti-Muslim acts happen, the spatial practices and the scales of belonging of those who are discriminated against, and how markers of social difference such as gender, race, age and class intersect with religion in experiences of Islamophobia.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Social and political debates have repeatedly shown that we are now in a new religious era primarily marked by diversity. The religious diversity of European society – and in particular the visibility of Muslims in the public space – reveals that the geographical space is a key factor in the study of anti-Muslim discrimination. Indeed, Islamophobia is very much present and has intensified especially since the armed attack of Charlie Hebdo publishing offices (a French satirical magazine) in January 2015. By analysing the spatial effects of Islamophobia, we seek to more effectively assess the impact of Muslim presence throughout European society, and in particular in France and United Kingdom. More exactly in the SAMA project, I will identify the spaces where anti-Muslim acts have occurred, the spatial practices and the scales of belonging of these discriminated people, and the intersectional dimension of Islamophobia in both the Greater Paris and Greater London regions. In addition to recording the highest levels of anti-Muslim acts , these conurbations are also “socio-spatial laboratories” that offer a useful context for exploring and understanding the dynamics that revolve around religious discrimination. To do this, the researcher - Dr Kawtar NAJIB - is moving from France to Newcastle University in United Kingdom in order to undertake a research on “spaces of anti-Muslim acts in the Greater Paris and Greater London regions”. This project will offer significant insights for the fight against racism and hate crimes in Europe. The researcher will gain research expertise in Islamophobia, social geographies, inter-European comparative research and GIS (Geographical Information Systems).
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE · Newcastle Upon TyneCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union