Islamic Modernities in Southeast Asia

Leonie Schmidt is Assistant Professor in television studies in the Media Studies Department at the University of Amsterdam and a researcher at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis.

• Acknowledgements / 1. Introduction: Islamic-themed Popular and Visual Culture and Images of Modernities / 2. Urban Islamic Spectacles: Transforming the Space of the Shopping Mall during Ramadan / 3. Islamic Rock Music and Imaginations of Modernities / 4. Islamic Self-help Books and Governmentality / 5. Muslim Masculinity and Feminity in Islamic-themed Films / 6. Liking, Wearing, and Sharing Islamic Modernities: Indonesian and Malaysian Muslim Fashion Bloggers / 7. Unearthing the Past and Re-imagining the Present - Contemporary Art and Muslim Politics in a Post-9/11 World / 8. Conclusion: Islamic Modernities and the Politics of Plurality / Bibliography / Index

Examining Islamic modernities and popular culture in Indonesia, Leonie Schmidt considers such diverse topics as visual culture, soap opera, cinema, fashion, rock music and urban space. In a region that is simultaneously Islamising and modernising, Schmidt shows how the juxtaposition of the seemingly incompatible can unsettle the modern/traditional dichotomy and highlight national and religious identities in their engagement with emerging modern lifestyle possibilities. Schmidt’s exciting and ambitious book is an important contribution to continuing debates about cultural transformation, pluralism and the promise of Islamic modernity.