| ID | 160640 |
| Title Proper | Missing politics of muscular liberalism |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Dobbernack, Jan |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The article examines the idea of muscular liberalism, first invoked by David Cameron as a paradigm of assertive policymaking in opposition to ‘state multiculturalism’. The rhetoric of muscular liberalism is present across western Europe, but its political effects have not been convincingly explored. In scholarship on ethnic minority integration, a ‘stimulus–response model’ credits Muslim intransigence as the trigger for the muscular stance. Other commentators put muscular liberalism into a genealogical perspective but do little to consider the circumstances of its political deployment. Working towards an alternative account, the article examines two instances of muscular liberalism in Britain: the campaign against ‘Sharia Courts’ and the ‘Trojan Horse’ affair. Different from the concern with historical continuity or stable potentials of liberal normativity, it draws attention to political operations and strategic calculations that characterize the deployment of muscular liberalism in British politics. |
| `In' analytical Note | Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power Vol. 25, No.4; Aug 2018: p.377-396 |
| Journal Source | Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power 2018-07 25, 4 |
| Key Words | Political liberalism ; Political Realism ; Sharia Courts ; Trojan Horse Affair ; British Muslim Politics ; Liberal Genealogy |