Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-212) and index.
Contents:
The evolution of cultural environments. From the slave trade to the September 11th attacks -- The September 11th attacks and the rise of anti-Muslim fringe organizations -- The rip tide: mainstream Muslim organizations respond -- Fringe benefits: how anti-Muslim organizations became mainstream -- The return of the repressed in the policy process -- Civil society organizations and public understandings of Islam -- The evolution of cultural environments.
Summary:
"Bail traces how the anti-Muslim narrative of the political fringe has captivated large segments of the American media, government, and general public, validating the views of extremists who argue that the United States is at war with Islam and marginalizing mainstream Muslim-Americans who are uniquely positioned to discredit such claims. Drawing on cultural sociology, social network theory, and social psychology, he shows how anti-Muslim organizations gained visibility in the public sphere, commandeered a sense of legitimacy, and redefined the contours of contemporary debate, shifting it ever outward toward the fringe. Bail illustrates his pioneering theoretical argument through a big-data analysis of more than one hundred organizations struggling to shape public discourse about Islam, tracing their impact on hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles, television transcripts, legislative debates, and social media messages produced since the September 11 attacks. The book also features in-depth interviews with the leaders of these organizations, providing a rare look at how anti-Muslim organizations entered the American mainstream." -- Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.