Karin Van Nieuwkerk, Mark Levine, and Martin Stokes (eds) 2016 Islam and Popular Culture, University of Texas Press, Austin. ISBN 978-1-4773-0904.

Islam and Popular Culture brings together 18 chapters by 19 researchers examining recent expressions of popular culture in predominantly Muslim societies. In their clear and insightful introduction, the editors identify at least three key propositions underpinning the volume: (1) that popular culture is a valuable site for the study of social transformation processes in the Muslim world, (2) that popular culture must be considered in association with globalisation rather than the more narrow framework of western secularisation, and importantly, (3) that popular culture ought not to be dismissed as simply a distraction from discussing 'real politics' (pp. 13-14). The volume is organised into five parts with each part focusing on thematically related case studies and within the framework of the aforementioned propositions.