"A spirited volume that takes aim at the confining but dominant debate on Islam, `for or against.' Politically astute, analytically acute, and pervasively humanistic, this is a rare contribution that brings clarity to an ideologically charged and muddied field." ---Engseng Ho, Duke University<BR><BR>"Very timely. The disciplinary range and nuance of the individual essays in this volume do a great job to illustrate and analyze how ahistorical, demeaning, or apologetic views of Muslims and Islam function and circulate," ---Ussama Makdisi, Rice University<BR><BR>"Islamophobia" is a term that has been widely applied to anti-Muslim ideas and actions, especially since 9/11. The contributors to this provocative volume explore and critique the usefulness of the concept for understanding contexts ranging from the Middle Ages to the modern day. Moving beyond familiar explanations such as good-Muslim/bad-Muslim stereotypes, or the "clash of civilizations," they describe Islamophobia's counterpart, Islamophilia, which deploys similar oppositions in the interest of fostering public acceptance of Islam. Contributors in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia; the cultural politics of literature, humor, and urban renewal; and religious conversion to Islam.<BR><BR>Contributors are Moustafa Bayoumi, Mucahit Bilici, Lara Deeb, Sally Howell, Tomaz Mastnak, Esra Ozyurek, Naamah Paley, Andrew Shryock, Paul A. Silverstein, and Muhammad Qasim Zaman.