Sevket Hylton Akyildiz

Project: Seaside town & coastal Muslims: historical and socio-cultural change in South-East England

Social context: My work explores historical and social change

British & European Muslims (those British/European born and/or naturalised citizens and others) and their communities
Investigates the lived reality and experiences of local Muslims and the response of local non-Muslim population, and civic institutions.
Case studies: seaside and resort towns of Eastbourne, Hastings & St. Leonards, and Brighton (East Sussex)
Compare and contrast my findings with studies of cities in the UK & Europe.
Seaside and resort towns have been seen as ‘traditional’ places of British culture and ‘Britishness’ in terms of leisure provision, built environment, and ethnicity. So, the arrival of Muslims and others into these towns since the 1990s has had some social impact and is culturally noticeable.

Aims:

In the context of ‘Islamophobia’, globalisation, and the ‘war on terrorism’, my research provides an alternative analysis to investigations focused on British/European Muslims residing in cities and large urban environments. In particular, I am recalibrating the lens on British and European Muslims (negative stereotyping and integration issues) by looking at alternative perspectives and practices which are favourable and less problematic for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Methods and Methodology:

I have taken an interdisciplinary approach in this project, mixing sociological, historical and political analysis.
The study is largely qualitative in content, though I do use statistical data supplied by the Office of National Statistics.
My method is participant observation, unstructured and semi-structured interviews and critical analysis of the literature.
I critically examine local government documents and newspaper stories, as primary sources.
I draw upon oral histories of migration and re-settlement history dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.

In respect of this, my research themes cover the following:

(i) the institutionalisation of mosques in medium-sized towns in England,
(ii) local Muslim ‘community’ needs and wants, internal community politics, and inter-communal relations
(iii) the evolving nature of British citizenship, trust/distrust discourses
(iv) the impact of social and cultural change on the local non-Muslim community and their responses.

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