Ziauddin Sardar is a prolific writer and an insightful cultural commentator. His latest book, Why Do People Hate America?, has been a regular feature in bestseller lists in several countries. In the UK, he is known as a leading intellectual and his regular contributions to the Observer, the Independent and the New Statesman have brought his writings to a wide audience. As one of our most high-profile Muslim intellectuals, he has also become an increasingly important voice in the media since the events of September 11th 2001.

This is the first collection of his writings that offers a comprehensive introduction to his thought. Starting with his analysis of his own position as a British Muslim and a writer, it goes on to explore issues of Islam and cultural change, education, identity, post-modernism and the future. Drawn from a broad range of his work in scholarly journals as well as from his many books on aspects of culture and society, it includes his most frequently cited papers and makes an ideal introduction to the immense scope of his work in cultural studies.

Ziaddin Sardar is currently the editor of Third Text and Visiting Professor of Cultural Studies at City University, London. His books for Pluto Press include Postmodernism and the Other and Aliens R Us.

Sohail Inayatullah is Professor, Tamkang University,Taiwan and University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. He is co-editor of Macrohistory and Macrohistorians; The University in Transformation; Youth Futures and Transforming Communication and author of Understanding Sardar and Questioning the Future.

Gail Boxwell is studying for a PhD in Sociology at Exeter with a focus on the social/political role of shamanism. She has taught study skills to female students at Zayed University, Dubai.

Introduction: the Other Futurist

1. Rethinking Islam
2. Reconstructing the Muslim Civilisation
3. Permanence and Change in Islam
4. The Shariah as a Problem Solving Methodology
5. Islam and Nationalism
6. Paper, Printing and Compact Discs
7. Reformist Ideas and Muslim Intellectuals: The Demands of the Real World

II Postmodernism

8. When the Pendulum Comes to Rest
9. Walt Disney and the Double Victimisation of Pocahontas
10. Christian-Muslim Relations in the Postmodern Age
11. Total Recall: Aliens, Others and Amnesia in Postmodern Thought
12. Bosnia and the Postmodern Embrace of Evil
13. Postmodern(ising) Quawwali
14. The End of Civilisation?

III Other Futures

15. The Problem of Futures Studies
16. Asian Cultures: Between Programmed and Desired Futures
17. Other Futures: Non-Western Cultures in Futures Studies
18. Medicine in Multicultural Society
19 Beyond Development: An Islamic Perspective
20. What Chaos? What Coherence? -Across the River I called

Bibliography : Ziauddin Sardar - A Working Bibliography by Gail Boxwell

Index