Situating Islam argues that knowledge of Islam has never been innocent or about the collection of facts. The specific ways in which Islam has been interpreted have always been subject to broader currents, such as the reform of Judaism, Orientalism, the identity politics of the 1960s, the response to 9/11, and the creation of a liberal Islam. Whereas previous scholarship highlighted the influence of Orientalism and the construction of an essentialized Islam, Situating Islam argues that the opposite approach - the construction of an authentic Islam that fits with Western values - has now become equally problematic. The book demonstrates how Islamic Studies has shaped how Islam is now studied, represented and understood in both scholarship and the media.

"This relatively short book packs a sizeable punch, which it aims at contemporary scholars of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, especially those in religious studies. This book should be widely read, especially by those who teach introductory courses on Islam, but also by anyone interested in understanding the challenges still facing religious studies in reaching its full potential as a truly academic discipline.'"

Source: Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"This is a very important book, and one that all students and researchers in Islamic Studies and the history of religions should read to gain deeper insight into the history of their fields of study.'"

Source: Temenos