Resisting epistemic racism in UK academia? Challenges and risks in the age of Islamophobia: the voices of Muslim academics

Abstract

The Western seizure of ‘legitimate’ knowledge has been widely criticised and seen the growth of initiatives such as Decolonising the Curriculum Movement. Challenging Eurocentric knowledge has always been onerous, given its entanglement with power structures. Using semi-structured interviews with nine Muslim academics working in British academia within Social Science disciplines on issues related to Islam and Muslims, this article discusses their experiences in attempting to challenge Eurocentrism that ‘other’ Muslim worldviews. ‘Epistemic racism’ is used to unravel the entanglement between Islamophobia and knowledge creation. The findings underscore the risks and limited opportunities particpants face in addressing debates on Muslims and Islam amidst ongoing cultural and systemic Islamophobia. By discussing their experiences referencing encounters with other Muslim and minority academics in Western universities, the article concludes that the globalised Islamophobia, fuelled by epistemic racism, is successfully thwarting attempts to effectively deconstruct Eurocentrism that has fostered the alterity of Muslim worldviews.