Doctoral Dissertation Research: Muslim Identity and the Mosque in Contemporary Socieity

杰弗里-1331827杰弗里·亚历山大普林斯顿大学伊丽莎白·贝克本论文通过关注当代社会清真寺背景下的穆斯林身份认同，研究身份的形成、边界的建立和耻辱。通过定性的方法(清真寺的民族志观察、采访和国家报纸的文本分析)，调查人员将研究穆斯林身份的构建和由此产生的污名的对抗。德国、西班牙和英国的个人越来越重视自己的穆斯林身份，而不是种族或国家身份，这一政策发现引发了智力刺激。研究人员假设，具有穆斯林背景的个人通过各种策略(如对抗、对话和回避)来确认和挑战基于宗教的边界。在测试和建立这一假设的过程中，这项研究将解决以下问题：伊斯兰教对当代欧洲社会中的个人身份的重要性是什么？认同为穆斯林的个人如何应对和/或面对污名？清真寺的所在地对于应对和/或应对国家背景下的耻辱的战略是如何以及为什么重要的？调查人员将在三个欧洲城市的清真寺遗址与三个穆斯林少数民族群体(英国伦敦的巴基斯坦裔、德国柏林的土耳其裔和西班牙马德里的摩洛哥裔)一起完成一项人种学研究。通过民族志观察、访谈和文本分析，研究人员采用了一种独特的方法来分析整个欧洲大陆的身份形成和由此产生的日常体验--通过清真寺的双重社会/物理空间，为更好地理解欧洲的移民、融合和多元文化提供了微观和宏观两种视角。到目前为止，对穆斯林群体的人种学研究几乎完全集中在内部账户上，未能解决促成少数群体身份形成的主流社会力量。此外，该清真寺的民族志遗址利用率极低，欧洲的一座清真寺迄今尚未进行深入的民族志研究，美国的一座清真寺只进行了一次。比较方法借鉴了三个历史上不同的欧洲国家对穆斯林认同感增加的相似之处，以及将一个南欧国家包括在内，同时将有助于从社会学角度理解不同背景下的归属界限。更广泛的影响这项研究的意义远远超出社会学学科，延伸到更广泛的社会。在应对有关移民和融合的辩论时，研究成果将有助于在全球范围内理解多元文化主义。通过不仅与学术机构接触，而且与社区组织接触，这项研究还将有助于在三个研究国家的学术界和更广泛的民间社会之间建立联系。

SES-1331827Jeffrey AlexanderElisabeth BeckerPrinceton UniversityThis dissertation project studies identity formation, boundary making, and stigma by focusing on Muslim identity within the context of the mosque in contemporary society. Through qualitative methods (ethnographic observation at mosques, interviews and textual analysis of national newspapers), the investigators will study Muslim identity construction and the confrontation of resulting stigmatization. The intellectual stimulus arises from the policy findings that individuals in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom increasingly privilege their Muslim identities over ethnic or national identities. The researchers hypothesize that individuals with Muslim backgrounds both confirm and challenge religion-based boundaries through various strategies (e.g. confrontation, dialogue, and avoidance). In testing and building upon this hypothesis, this study will address the following questions: What is the importance of Islam for individual identities in contemporary European societies? How and why do individuals who identify as Muslims cope with and/or confront stigma? How and why is the site of the mosque important for strategies of coping with and/or confronting stigma across national contexts? The investigators will complete an ethnographic study with three Muslim minority groups at the site of the mosque in three European cities (individuals of Pakistani descent in London, UK; Turkish descent in Berlin, Germany; and Moroccan descent in Madrid, Spain). Through ethnographic observation, interviews and textual analysis, the researchers employ a unique methodological approach to analyze identity formation and resultant everyday experience across the continent--providing both micro and macro lenses for better understanding migration, integration and multiculturalism in Europe through the dually social/physical space of the mosque. Ethnographic studies of Muslim groups to date focus almost exclusively on insider accounts, failing to address mainstream societal forces that contribute to identity formation among minority groups. Moreover, the ethnographic site of the mosque is highly underutilized, with no in-depth ethnographies as of yet undertaken at a European mosque and only one at a mosque in the United States. The comparative method that draws on parallels of increased identification of Muslim in three historically divergent European countries, as well as the inclusion of a southern European country, will concurrently contribute to sociological understanding of boundaries on belonging in different contexts. Broader ImpactThe significance of this study reaches far beyond the discipline of Sociology into broader society. In grappling with debates on immigration and integration, research findings will contribute to understandings of multiculturalism globally. By engaging with not only academic institutions, but also community organizations, the research will also help to create linkages between the academic and broader civil society in the three countries of study.