CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of 2012 Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed journal devo- 1 2012 Vol IX No 1 ted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to pro- mote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages OLOGY the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are I judged to make a novel and important contribution to understan- LOSOPHY OF I ding the values and cultural phenomena in the contempo rary world. CULTURE AND AX AND CULTURE ONAL JOURNAL OF PH I INTERNAT ISBN 978-3-631-63867-5 www.peterlang.de PETER LANG CULTURA 2012_263867_VOL_9_No1_GR_A5Br.indd 1 24.07.12 15:37:38 Uhr CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATiONAL JOURNAL OF PHiLOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXiOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of 2012 Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed journal devo- 1 2012 Vol IX No 1 ted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to pro- mote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages OLOGY the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are i judged to make a novel and important contribution to understan- LOSOPHY OF i ding the values and cultural phenomena in the contempo­rary world. CULTURE AND AX AND CULTURE ONAL JOURNAL OF PH i INTERNAT www.peterlang.de PETER LANG CULTURA 2012_263867_VOL_9_No1_GR_A5Br.indd 1 24.07.12 15:37:38 Uhr CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology E-ISSN (Online): 2065-5002 ISSN (Print): 1584-1057 Advisory Board Prof. dr. Mario Perniola, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy Prof. dr. Paul Cruysberghs, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Prof. dr. Michael Jennings, Princeton University, USA Prof. Emeritus dr. Horst Baier, University of Konstanz, Germany Prof. dr. José María Paz Gago, University of Coruña, Spain Prof. dr. Maximiliano E. Korstanje, John F. Kennedy University, Buenos Aires, Argentina Prof. dr. Nic Gianan, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines Prof. dr. Alexandru Boboc, Correspondent member of the Romanian Academy, Romania Prof. dr. Teresa Castelao-Lawless, Grand Valley State University, USA Prof. dr. Richard L. Lanigan, Southern Illinois University, USA Prof. dr. Fernando Cipriani, G.d’Annunzio University Chieti-Pescara, Italy Prof. dr. Elif Cirakman, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Prof. dr. David Cornberg, University Ming Chuan, Taiwan Prof. dr. Carmen Cozma, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iassy, Romania Prof. dr. Nancy Billias, Department of Philosophy, Saint Joseph College, Hartford, USA Prof. dr. Christian Möckel, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany Prof. dr. Leszek S. Pyra, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland Prof. dr. A. L. Samian, National University of Malaysia Prof. dr. Dimitar Sashev, University of Sofia, Bulgaria Prof. dr. Kiymet Selvi, Anadolu University, Istanbul, Turkey Prof. dr. Traian D. Stănciulescu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iassy, Romania Prof. dr. Gloria Vergara, University of Colima, Mexico Prof. dr. Devendra Nath Tiwari, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India Prof. dr. Massimo Leone, University of Torino, Italy Prof. dr. Christian Lazzeri, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France Prof. dr. Asunción López-Varela Azcárate, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Co-Editors: Prof. dr. Nicolae Râmbu Prof. dr. Aldo Marroni Faculty of Philosophy and Social- Facoltà di Scienze Sociali Political Sciences Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti B-dul Carol I, nr. 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania Scalo, Italy [email protected] [email protected] Executive Editor: PD Dr. Till Kinzel Dr. Simona Mitroiu Englisches Seminar Human Sciences Research Department Technische Universität Braunschweig, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Bienroder Weg 80, Lascar Catargi, nr. 54, 700107 Iasi, Romania 38106 Braunschweig, Germany [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Assistant: Dr. Marius Sidoriuc Designer: Aritia Poenaru Cultura International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology Vol. 9, No. 1 (2012) Editor-in-Chief Nicolae Râmbu PETER LANG Frankfurt am Main · Berlin · Bern · Bruxelles · New York · Oxford · Wien Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Umschlagabbildung: © Aritia Poenaru ISSN 2065-5002 ISBN 978-3-631-63867-5 © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Frankfurt am Main 2012 All rights reserved. All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems. www.peterlang.de CONTENTS CULTURAL ILLUSIONS Danial YUSOF 7 Parallels between Contemporary Western and Islamic Thought on the Discourse of Power and Knowledge Andrei CORNEA 29 Relativity and Relativism: On a Failed Analogy Andityas Soares DE MOURA COSTA MATOS 43 A Western Cultural Illusion: State and Law or State as Law? Steven CRESAP, Louis TIETJE 57 Irreconcilable Foundations: An Analysis of the Cultural Environment Facing Moral Educators Liudmila BAEVA 73 Existential Axiology Paola PARTENZA 85 Mary Wollstonecraft: Ideology and Political Responsibility Dan-Eugen RAŢIU New Theoretical Framework for Approaching Artistic Activity: the 101 Principle of Uncertainty. Pierre-Michel Menger’s Sociology of Creative Work Frederic WILL 123 Cultural Illusions Dennis IOFFE 135 The Notion “Ideology” in the Context of the Russian Avant-Garde Abdul Rashid MOTEN 155 Understanding and Ameliorating Islamophobia Seungbae PARK 179 Against Moral Truths Reena CHERUVALATH 195 Analyzing the Concept of Self-Deception in Indian Cultural Context Alexander BAUMGARTEN 205 Li/toij ferome/noij. Notes towards Plotinus’ Semiology of Heaven Morten Ebbe Juul NIELSEN 215 The Duty to Recognize Culture Madalena D’OLIVEIRA-MARTINS 235 The New Feminine Emotional Codes in Hochschild: New Perspectives for Modern Social Studies Vilmos VOIGT 249 The Bridge in Semiotics 10.5840/cultura20129127 Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology 9(1)/2012: 155–178 Understanding and Ameliorating Islamophobia Abdul Rashid MOTEN Department of Political Science International Islamic University Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [email protected] Abstract. Though centuries old, Islamophobia has increased in intensity as it is ex- tensively documented by surveys and reports published by various governmental and non-governmental organizations. This dislike towards Islam and Muslims is, due, amongst other factors, to an increasing number of Muslim citizens and asylum seekers in the West bent upon preserving their own identity giving rise to the per- ception of “us” versus “them.” Such negative evaluations by the in-group may be due to the conflicting values, beliefs and the actual or perceived threat posed by Muslims. This is also attributed to the negative messages transmitted by the national media and the powerful elite. The strategy for countering Islamophobia must con- centrate on “unlearning intolerance” by focusing on removing negative perceptions through education, reforming the media and reshaping the foreign policy of West- ern powers. Keywords: Islamophobia, Social-identity, Muslims in the West, Media and Islam, Islamic Threat ISLAMOPHOBIA: EXPLAINING MILITANCY AND VIOLENCE Islamophobia has been a contested concept. The reason, as suggested by Cesari is that “it is often imprecisely applied to very diverse phenomena, ranging from xenophobia to anti-terrorism” (Cesari, 2006: 6). It has been used interchangeably with neo-Orientalism, anti-Muslimism or cultural racism. Nevertheless, the concept has been used in many circles and hence requires clarification. French in origin, first used by Etienne Dinet and Slima Ben Ibrahim (1925), the word “Islamophobia” in English first appeared in an article by Edward Said in 1985 (Said, 1985: 1-15). Since then, and particularly since about 2000, the term has gained a greater dis- cursive prevalence. Most of the existing literature use the term Islam- ophobia to refer to “the intolerance and discrimination against Muslims” implying therefore, that the term entails both an attitudinal and a behav- ioral component. The OIC observatory defines it as “an irrational or very powerful fear or dislike of Islam” (OIC Observatory, 2008). Its 155 Abdul Rashid Moten / Understanding and Ameliorating Islamophobia manifestations include prejudice, stereotyping, hostility, discriminatory treatment, denigration of the most sacred symbols of Islam, and non- recognition of Islam and Muslims by the law of the land. John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed (2007: 136), suggested that “Islamophobia was coined to describe a two-stranded form of racism – rooted in both the ‘different’ physical appearance of Muslims and also in an intolerance of their religious and cultural beliefs.” The Runnymede Trust