Laurens de Rooij
Laurens de Rooij gained his doctorate at Durham University in England. He is currently an Associate Lecturer in the Sociology of Islam, at the Al Mahdi Institute. His research examines how non-Muslim people in Britain interact with news reports about Islam and Muslims and how that affects their interpretation and conceptualization of Islam and Muslims, as well as any subsequent interactions. This is approached from an interdisciplinary perspective that discusses the issue of media reports about Muslims and Islam whilst drawing upon areas such as hermeneutics, media studies, philosophy of identity, post-colonial theory and religious studies. The research hopes to garner a greater understanding into the way the individual understands and interprets media reports related to Islam as well as the effect a media report can have on the way it is perceived and received.
Laurens has spent time at a number of institutions across the globe, these Include: The Graduate School of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta, Indonesia (spring 2013), the Religion Department at Duke University in Durham North Carolina, USA (Autumn 2013), The Centre for Religion, Media and Culture in the Journalism & Mass Communication Department at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, USA (spring 2014), and at Brazil’s Fundação Joaquim Nabuco (summer 2016). In 2017 he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town for a year, where his research analyses how the media discourse on minorities (particularly Muslims and Islam) affects how they are conceptualized, understood, and treated in South Africa. This work was supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He was also a lecturer at the University of Chester (2018), and a researcher at London Metropolitan University (2018-2020), Toulouse School of Management (2021-2022) in France, and Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand (2022-2023).
He is also committed to the excellence in teaching and enjoys working with students at all levels of study and sharing in their interests. This work has been supported by completing Durham's Learning and Teaching Award (DULTA) in 2014, and recognised by becoming a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy in 2016.
Address: United Kingdom
Laurens has spent time at a number of institutions across the globe, these Include: The Graduate School of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta, Indonesia (spring 2013), the Religion Department at Duke University in Durham North Carolina, USA (Autumn 2013), The Centre for Religion, Media and Culture in the Journalism & Mass Communication Department at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, USA (spring 2014), and at Brazil’s Fundação Joaquim Nabuco (summer 2016). In 2017 he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town for a year, where his research analyses how the media discourse on minorities (particularly Muslims and Islam) affects how they are conceptualized, understood, and treated in South Africa. This work was supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He was also a lecturer at the University of Chester (2018), and a researcher at London Metropolitan University (2018-2020), Toulouse School of Management (2021-2022) in France, and Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand (2022-2023).
He is also committed to the excellence in teaching and enjoys working with students at all levels of study and sharing in their interests. This work has been supported by completing Durham's Learning and Teaching Award (DULTA) in 2014, and recognised by becoming a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy in 2016.
Address: United Kingdom
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Book Reviews by Laurens de Rooij
Journal Articles by Laurens de Rooij
with British values and society. Media narratives are used to conceptualise Islam in
Britain. The existing protocols of religion, media, and public space characterise that
environment, as well as dictating the participation of members in that space. This paper
discusses how media constructions of Islam are linked to civil religion. It does so
by discussing: (1) how the media’s protocols of public discourse affect the framing of
religious identities; (2) how the media defines the aesthetic parameters of religious
expression; (3) how the conceptualisation(s) of civil religion are used to regulate Islam
in Britain. This study utilises a qualitative content analysis of media frames. Findings
suggest that the aesthetic elements (media representations of Islam and Muslims)
regulate Islam and Muslims through the codes and conventions (civil religion) of British
society.
This is the final draft before publication. Please contact author for final version if you wish to cite this work.
Book Chapters by Laurens de Rooij
longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of
Thailand is not only the Head of State and of the Armed Forces he is also the Upholder of the
Buddhist religion. As a result he is seen as a unifying figure among its people in the political
arena but increasingly it seems that a religious cult has developed around the figure of the king.
He is a revered man and holds considerable power and influence among the people. Historically
the figure of the Thai monarch has been important in keeping the country politically stable and
out of a number of conflicts, with the preference of the Thai monarchy on peace and stability
rather than conflict. This paper will examine how the country’s religious background set in
Theravada Buddhism affects how the figure of the monarch is constructed and increasingly
shows similarities with the role of a spiritual leader not only a political one. I will explore the
question of how the Buddhist definition of Kingship affects the mythical narrative surrounding
the monarch in Thailand. Setting the context from which I shall approach the issue of in what
way the Thai people publicly revere their King in not only secular terms but increasingly
religious terms. With modernizing transformations taking place in contemporary Thailand it is
noticeable though that the country’s religious background is not lost in the shuffle. Theravada
Buddhism is still increasingly important in the country’s social, economic and religious identity.
But increasingly the figure of the Monarch takes an all-encompassing figure to exemplify the
socio-religious values that Thai’s should aspire to.
culture and history. This paper will try to answer the question of how the historical context
and political environment have contributed to shaping the relationship between Islam and
(secular) democracy in Indonesia today. By examining remnants of the country’s colonial
past, independence from the Dutch in the late 40’s, through the authoritarian regime of
Sukarno and The “New Order Administration” and how these periods of the country’s
existence have helped shape the socio-religious environment of contemporary Indonesia. By
looking at how the socio-religious context interacted with political context of the country
during its modernizing transformation after the colonial period, I suggest that the Islam found
in Indonesia, exists in a variety of ways but cannot be looked at without taking the historical
context into consideration. As a consequence of large diversity among Indonesians both
ethnically and religiously, Islam was never a united political force as in other countries. But
how does the contemporary political environment affect religious identity construction for
contemporary Indonesians? With the socio-religious climate in Indonesia one of dynamism,
active participation and as it contains the largest Muslim populous in the world as well as one
of the largest growing economies, Indonesia and the relationship between Islam and
democracy is of increasing global importance.
plurality of active religious traditions. This unique lifestyle has affected modernizing transformations
during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The influence of the minority religions on
economic policy is a notable example. The socio-religious climate of Malaysia and its various ethnic
groups have all contributed to economic and in turn political developments within the nation. This
paper will explore the links of how the pluralist environment of the country has directly affected and
continues to shape the social, economic, political discourse of the country. Subtle elements such as
constitutional preference over one religion and the various economic policies show that the religious
pluralism of Malaysia and globalising factors have had wide ranging influences on the country and its
people. As such this paper will argue that in the development of Malaysia as a nation its many
religious traditions have had a role to play. With arguably the minority religions being a more
dominant factor that the majority Muslim community. These religions have interacted and influenced
each other in developing Malaysian identity-politics and economic policy for its contemporary
citizens.
Encyclopedia Entries by Laurens de Rooij
with British values and society. Media narratives are used to conceptualise Islam in
Britain. The existing protocols of religion, media, and public space characterise that
environment, as well as dictating the participation of members in that space. This paper
discusses how media constructions of Islam are linked to civil religion. It does so
by discussing: (1) how the media’s protocols of public discourse affect the framing of
religious identities; (2) how the media defines the aesthetic parameters of religious
expression; (3) how the conceptualisation(s) of civil religion are used to regulate Islam
in Britain. This study utilises a qualitative content analysis of media frames. Findings
suggest that the aesthetic elements (media representations of Islam and Muslims)
regulate Islam and Muslims through the codes and conventions (civil religion) of British
society.
This is the final draft before publication. Please contact author for final version if you wish to cite this work.
longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of
Thailand is not only the Head of State and of the Armed Forces he is also the Upholder of the
Buddhist religion. As a result he is seen as a unifying figure among its people in the political
arena but increasingly it seems that a religious cult has developed around the figure of the king.
He is a revered man and holds considerable power and influence among the people. Historically
the figure of the Thai monarch has been important in keeping the country politically stable and
out of a number of conflicts, with the preference of the Thai monarchy on peace and stability
rather than conflict. This paper will examine how the country’s religious background set in
Theravada Buddhism affects how the figure of the monarch is constructed and increasingly
shows similarities with the role of a spiritual leader not only a political one. I will explore the
question of how the Buddhist definition of Kingship affects the mythical narrative surrounding
the monarch in Thailand. Setting the context from which I shall approach the issue of in what
way the Thai people publicly revere their King in not only secular terms but increasingly
religious terms. With modernizing transformations taking place in contemporary Thailand it is
noticeable though that the country’s religious background is not lost in the shuffle. Theravada
Buddhism is still increasingly important in the country’s social, economic and religious identity.
But increasingly the figure of the Monarch takes an all-encompassing figure to exemplify the
socio-religious values that Thai’s should aspire to.
culture and history. This paper will try to answer the question of how the historical context
and political environment have contributed to shaping the relationship between Islam and
(secular) democracy in Indonesia today. By examining remnants of the country’s colonial
past, independence from the Dutch in the late 40’s, through the authoritarian regime of
Sukarno and The “New Order Administration” and how these periods of the country’s
existence have helped shape the socio-religious environment of contemporary Indonesia. By
looking at how the socio-religious context interacted with political context of the country
during its modernizing transformation after the colonial period, I suggest that the Islam found
in Indonesia, exists in a variety of ways but cannot be looked at without taking the historical
context into consideration. As a consequence of large diversity among Indonesians both
ethnically and religiously, Islam was never a united political force as in other countries. But
how does the contemporary political environment affect religious identity construction for
contemporary Indonesians? With the socio-religious climate in Indonesia one of dynamism,
active participation and as it contains the largest Muslim populous in the world as well as one
of the largest growing economies, Indonesia and the relationship between Islam and
democracy is of increasing global importance.
plurality of active religious traditions. This unique lifestyle has affected modernizing transformations
during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The influence of the minority religions on
economic policy is a notable example. The socio-religious climate of Malaysia and its various ethnic
groups have all contributed to economic and in turn political developments within the nation. This
paper will explore the links of how the pluralist environment of the country has directly affected and
continues to shape the social, economic, political discourse of the country. Subtle elements such as
constitutional preference over one religion and the various economic policies show that the religious
pluralism of Malaysia and globalising factors have had wide ranging influences on the country and its
people. As such this paper will argue that in the development of Malaysia as a nation its many
religious traditions have had a role to play. With arguably the minority religions being a more
dominant factor that the majority Muslim community. These religions have interacted and influenced
each other in developing Malaysian identity-politics and economic policy for its contemporary
citizens.