Description
In the past few years, a number of books related to Islam and popular culture have been published demonstrating both the expansion of our collective research and the growing interest in the subject by broader audiences. We are currently seeking papers for a peer-reviewed edited volume, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Islam and Popular Culture, to be published by Bloomsbury Press in their Handbooks in Religion Series. The volume will provide a broad geographic representation with a focus on the last 100 years. The aim of this interdisciplinary collection is to provide a readable scholarly introduction to varieties of popular culture extending from Muslim societies and communities. We are looking for in-depth introductory essays chronicling cultural products in regional or transnational contexts, dominant and emerging theories about popularization, and provocations in the field. Overall, the volume is aimed at scholars and students who seek entry points in the range of critical issues and themes related to Islam and popular culture.
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- A diachronic survey of a particular art form.
- An engagement of what popular culture, mass culture, public culture, and/or contemporary culture means in a Muslim context.
- The ways in which popular culture gives voice to marginalized communities.
- The transnational flows of a particular art form or genre.
- In addition to cultural production such as music, film, and literature, we encourage explorations into forms such as fashion or sermons.
- Explorations in material culture, architecture, and/or urban design.
- The ways in which non-Muslims engage with an Islamicate cultural form.
- The transformation, or differing meanings, of a cultural form across social/geographic boundaries.
Full submissions can range from 5,000–10,000 words depending on topic.
Proposals
Please send a proposal (300-500 words), an abstract (100 words), anticipated word count, and CV to Kristian Petersen ([email protected]) and Hussein Rashid ([email protected]). Feel free to direct any questions to the editors before submission.
Proposals Due: March 15, 2018
Response of Acceptance: June 15, 2018
Full Draft Submissions Due: January 1, 2019
