Islam in British media discourses – Q&A with Laurens de Rooij

Posted by - Saturday, 9 May 2020

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How would you like someone who has read your book to sum it up in one sentence?

I would like them to think that the way non-Muslims understand media reports about Muslims and Islam is more complicated than previously thought and a combination of the producer’s and the receiver’s preconceptions.

What book in your field has inspired you the most?

Stewart Hoover, Religion in the Media Age (London, UK – New York, NY: Routledge, 2006).

Did your research take you to any unexpected places?

I never expected to be interviewing far-right group members or war veterans about their media consumption.

Which writing process do you use (computer, longhand, dictate, other)?

A combination of computer writing and automated transcription.

Why did you choose to publish with MUP?

I wanted to publish with a reputable University Press and MUP accepted my publication and the reviewers were engaging with the book exactly how I hoped they would.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a follow up book looking at changes in media representation as well as a number of journal articles, before I start writing up my latest project looking at the role of the ‘own race bias’ in media reception.

If you could go back and give yourself once piece of advice when starting out on this project, what would it be?

To relax a little more and not put too much pressure on myself.

If you could have been the author of any book, what would it be and why?

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon, because it gives an interesting and compelling account of the psychological processes and issues facing minorities in multi-cultural societies following changes in colonial structures.

What other genres do you enjoy reading?

I read a lot of non-fiction, biographies, and (political) satire.

Which authors (academic and not) would you invite to a dinner party?

Walter Lippmann, Michel Foucault, Karl Marx, Frantz Fanon, Stewart Hoover, Jolyon Mitchell, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore and Stephen Clarke.

 

 

Islam in British media discourses: Understanding perceptions of Muslims in the news by Laurens de Rooij is available to buy now.

Laurens de Rooij is a Lecturer of Islamic Studies at the University of Chester

 

 

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