Berkley Center

Cesari's book is a pioneering attempt to engage in a comparative study of Muslim experiences on both sides of the Atlantic. With an emphasis on carefully locating the lived experience of Muslims in the diverse historical, social, and cultural contexts of the Western world, the work avoids a major pitfall of many books on Islam by not essentializing the religious tradition. Instead, by presenting Islam in the Western world as a conglomeration of discursive practices, the book unfolds the rich tapestry of Muslim experiences created by a complex interaction of local, national, and global forces. Most importantly, the book shows how western societies and concepts, such as nationalism and secularism, are being gradually transformed by the Muslim presence in the West.

Table of Contents
    Introduction: From Clash to Encounter
    1. The Numbers Debate
Part I Islam and the West: Mutual Transformation
    2. Islam as Stigma
    3. The Secularization of Individual Islamic Practice
    4. The Secularization of Islamic Institutions in Europe and the United States:       Two Approaches
Part II The Imagine Community
    5. The Absolutized Community
    6. The Virtual Community
Part III The Reinvented Community: New Figures of Islamic Authority in the West
    7. Bureaucratic and Parochial Leaders
    8. Transnational Leaders and Charismatic Speakers
    9. The Reformation of Islamic Thought
    Conclusion: Toward a Reconciliation of Islam and the West?