Three stereotypical figures have come to represent the ?war on terror? ? the ?dangerous? Muslim man, the ?imperilled? Muslim woman, and the ?civilized? European. Casting Out explores the use of these characterizations in the creation of the myth of the family of democratic Western nations obliged to use political, military, and legal force to defend itself against a menacing third world population. It argues that this myth is promoted to justify the expulsion of Muslims from the political community, a process that takes the form of stigmatization, surveillance, incarceration, torture, and bombing.

In this timely and controversial work, Sherene H. Razack looks at contemporary legal and social responses to Muslims in the West and places them in historical context. She explains how ?race thinking,? a structure of thought that divides up the world between the deserving and undeserving according to racial descent, accustoms us to the idea that the suspension of rights for racialized groups is warranted in the interests of national security. She discusses many examples of the institution and implementation of exclusionary and coercive practices, including the mistreatment of security detainees, the regulation of Muslim populations in the name of protecting Muslim women, and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. She explores how the denial of a common bond between European people and those of different origins has given rise to the proliferation of literal and figurative ?camps,? places or bodies where liberties are suspended and the rule of law does not apply.

Combining rich theoretical perspectives and extensive research, Casting Out makes a major contribution to contemporary debates on race and the ?war on terror? and their implications in areas such as law, politics, cultural studies, feminist and gender studies, and race relations.

Sherene H. Razack is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

Endorsements/Review Excerpts

?Casting Out is a fabulous contribution to a growing literature on new modes of imperial management since 9/11, combining rich theoretical perspectives, interpretation, and empirical detail. Sherene H. Razack systematically explores the reframing of religious identity within received and innovative imaginaries of race, legal classification, and gender with authority and elegance. In this ambitious, but highly successful book, she examines, with almost surgical precision, the micro-processes of legality, the inextricable link between sexuality, race, and state-sponsored torture, and the inscription of the camp in quotidian practices of Muslim immigrants.?

?In ,Casting Out, Sherene H. Razack articulates, in a highly creative manner, several different theoretical frameworks in an effort to unravel the specific nature of racism, or what she calls ?race thinking? in the modern world. The results of her examination are of great importance to research into contemporary forms of racism, the making of empire, and the role that feminism plays in the process. This is an original and valuable work that offers insights into such fields as feminist studies, globalization studies, postcolonial and colonial studies, and law.?

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Race Thinking and the Camp

PART ONE: ‘DANGEROUS’MUSLIM MEN

1. ‘Your client has a profile’: Race in the Security Hearing
2. If It Wasn’t for the Sex and the Photos: The Torture of Prisoners at Abu Ghraib

PART TWO: ‘IMPERILLED’MUSLIM WOMEN

3. Modern Women as Imperialists: Geopolitics, Culture Clash, and Gender after 9/11
4. Racism in the Name of Feminism: Imperilled Muslim Women  in Norway
5. The Muslims Are Coming: The ‘Sharia Debate’ in Canada

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index