Description

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Among its Continental peers, Austria has stood out for its longstanding state recognition of the Muslim community as early as 1912. A shift has occurred more recently, however, as populist far-right voices within the Austrian government have redirected public discourse and put into question Islam’s previously accepted autonomous status within the country. 

Politicizing Islam in Austria examines this anti-Muslim swerve in Austrian politics through a comprehensive analysis of government policies and regulations, as well as party and public discourses. In their innovative study, Hafez and Heinisch show how the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) adapted anti-Muslim discourse to their political purposes and how that discourse was then appropriated by the conservative center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). This reconfiguration of the political landscape prepared the way for a right-wing coalition government between conservatives and far-right actors that would subsequently institutionalize anti-Muslim political demands and change the shape of the civic conditions and public perceptions of Islam and the Muslim community in the republic. 
 

About the Author

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FARID HAFEZ is the Class of 1955 Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Studies at Williams College in Massachusetts. He is an award-winning author and coeditor of several books, including The Rise of Global Islamophobia in the War on Terror: Coloniality, Race, and Islam.
 
REINHARD HEINISCH is a professor of comparative Austrian political science at the University of Salzburg. He is the author and coeditor of several books, including Understanding Populist Party Organization: The Radical Right in Western Europe. 
 

Praise For…

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“Hafez and Heinisch's book is a timely, important, and innovative contribution to studies on the role of Islam in politics, of religion in society, and the instrumentalization of Islam for right-wing and conservative political parties' aims. The case of Austria – a European pioneer of right-wing government participation – clearly explains the institutional and discursive conditions of the politicization of Islam in a right-wing and conservative environment.”

— Birgit Sauer

"This book on the politicization of Islam in Austria is timely as we see the rise populism and radical right in Europe. The authors provide a rich overview of how political parties in Austria, including mainstream parties, have changed their discourse on Islam. A sharp and up-to-date picture of Austrian politics, Hafez and Heinisch’s book is important for anyone interested in the relationship between religion and politics in contemporary Europe."
— Sarah Wolff