Multipastism: Collective Memory, Ethnic Conflict, and Anti-Muslim Discrimination in Global Perspective

Despite the prevalence of anti-Muslim discrimination in parts of Africa, the two predominant conceptualisations of Islamophobia are problematically Eurocentric and pay little attention to manifestations of the phenomenon in Africa. On the one hand, the cultural racism model theorises Islamophobia as a form of cultural racism which began in Europe with the Christian Crusades against Muslims before being exported elsewhere. On the other hand, the globalist model theorises Islamophobia as racism against Muslims manufactured in Euro-America by way of Orientalism in the 18th century and exported around the world. In both accounts, Eurocentric genealogies are routinely posited as the commencement point for comprehending Islamophobia across all continents. I problematise these interpretations of Islamophobia from an African perspective. Advancing the multipastism approach, I contend that Islamophobia emerges at the intersection of local and global historical forces and is embedded in groups’ mnemonic traditions that vary in form and content across societies.