My research
Muslim activism and the new media
Islam as a source of normative ideological inspiration and mobilization has become more influential among young Muslim activists in Europe in recent years. Or rather, it has come under the limelight of public attention and has in general gained higher visibility. Since this is a phenomenon within a younger age group computer-mediated communication (CMC)Wikipedia: “Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is defined as any communicative transaction which occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. While the term has traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer-mediated formats (i.e., instant messages, e-mails, chat rooms) it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging…” Click to read the rest of the article on wikipedia. like chat rooms, forums, internetsites etc. play an increasingly important role under Muslim activists. My questions therefore revolve around the relationship between CMC and Muslim activism.
Theoretical background
I understand Muslim activism within computer-mediated communication (CMC) within the frameworks of knowledge practices and social movement theories (SMTSocial Movement Theory). What do I exactly mean by knowledge practices and SMT? What does this framework imply for my research?
Research methods
Participant observationWikipedia: “Participant observation is research strategies which aim to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals (such as a religious, occupational, or subcultural group, or a particular community) and their practices through an intensive involvement with people in their natural environment, often though not always over an extended period of time…” click to continue reading the wikipedia entry on “participant observation”. and interviews are the main methods for collecting data during my ethnographic fieldwork. Since I am interested in knowledge practices= meaning-generating practices
Click to read more on knowledge practices on my page “Theoretical background”. of Muslim activists in computer-mediated environments I do research within on- and offline environments.
Publications
Here you find my publicationslist.
