Responses to Right-Wing Populism
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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Feeling at Home and Seeing the Other Side Muslim Responses to Right-Wing Populism PhD Thesis Yahya Barry The Edinburgh Alwaleed Centre The University of Edinburgh 2019 1 2 PhD Thesis Yahya Barry FEELING AT HOME AND SEEING THE OTHER SIDE Muslim Responses to Right-Wing Populism Thesis Submitted to the Department of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Edinburgh Supervisors: Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila & Dr. Alistair Hunter Date Submitted: December 21st 2018 I testify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree or professional qualification by this or any other university. Parts of this work [pages: 88-91] have been published by the Cambridge Centre for Islamic Studies 2015. Signature: ©2018 by Yahya Barry. All rights reserved. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. 3 4 Abstract Is it going to be an Islamised Europe or Europeanised Islam? This is a question, a final ultimatum, almost apocalyptic, posed by commentators on Right-wing populism (RWP) across both sides of the Atlantic. RWP has stimulated profound structural shifts in European politics. What isn’t disputed is that at its embryonic phase, this particular socio-political phenomenon was responding to everyday voices at the microsocial level. For the most part, academia has however focused on the macrosocial level. Regards the Muslims – a key target of RWP ideology – their voices in response are absent in the current literature. I therefore asked: has RWP affected Muslim identity? If so, why and how has this occurred? This thesis applies an interpretative sociological approach and qualitative methodology to conduct fieldwork in three European cities: Malmo, Copenhagen and Edinburgh. The data constituting the empirical basis of the study is from a subset of 28 participants (second-generation and converts) from a total 45 who participated. The data was subjected to narrative analysis to identify the main factors influencing the participants’ responses to RWP. Although the participants’ exhibited a range of ‘social creative responses’, these were in response to stigmatisation primarily. The data showed no ‘reactive’ Muslim identity emerging as a response to RWP. The participants perceived other factors as having a far greater impact on their everyday lives than RWP activism. Two main factors emerged: (segregation and second-class citizenship) influencing the production of Muslim identities. Malmo and Copenhagen, characterised by ethno-cultural segregation created more obstacles impeding equal citizenship by comparison to Edinburgh, where a small dispersed Muslim community benefitted from a civic nationalism and aspirational pluralism. 5 6 To Mukhtar Barry. You made me realise that we have little time to waste and so much to achieve. I hope to be united with you in Jannah. 7 Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................... 11 Preface ..................................................................................................................... 13 A Soft-Hard Beginning ........................................................................................ 13 Introductions ................................................................................................................. 17 Rationale for the Study ............................................................................................... 17 Outlining the Central Research Question ...................................................................... 23 The Muslims who Informed the Study ........................................................................... 25 Overview of the Thesis ................................................................................................ 32 Chapter 1 .................................................................................................................... 35 Analytical Categories & Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................. 35 Right-wing Populism .................................................................................................. 35 Contexts, Emergence & Influence Dynamics........................................................ 38 Muslims: Responses & Identities .................................................................................. 43 Identity ................................................................................................................ 48 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................................. 55 Intergroup Relations & Social Identity Theory..................................................... 55 Cases of Intergroup Conflict ................................................................................ 58 Intergroup Contact Theory .................................................................................. 62 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 66 Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................... 67 Research Methodology ................................................................................................... 67 Ontology & Epistemology ........................................................................................... 67 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 69 Choices: Who, Where, How? ....................................................................................... 76 Who? The Participants ........................................................................................ 77 Where? The cities ................................................................................................ 82 How? Bringing it Together .................................................................................. 85 Accessing the Field .............................................................................................. 85 Reflexivity & Research Ethics ...................................................................................... 91 Confidentiality & Anonymity ............................................................................... 94 Outline of the Project Data ......................................................................................... 95 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 99 8 Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................101 The Nations, Cities & Localities .....................................................................................101 Muslim Demographics, Histories & Patterns of Migration.............................................101 Belonging: Socio-economic Integration & Public Perceptions .......................................109 Public Perceptions ....................................................................................................113 Citizenship ...............................................................................................................117 The Cities & Localities ..............................................................................................120 Malmo ................................................................................................................ 120 Copenhagen ....................................................................................................... 123 Edinburgh .......................................................................................................... 127 Vignettes of Malmo, Copenhagen & Edinburgh .................................................. 129 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................136 Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................139 Growing Up ‘Being Muslim’ ..........................................................................................139 Journeys of Self-Discovery .........................................................................................141