New This Week: May 20th

This week, we’re excited to release three thought-provoking new books that illuminate the complexities of belief, language, and identity in contemporary life. In Secular Sensibilities, Susan Friend Harding explores how secularism shapes moral and political discourse in the American South, offering a fresh lens on cultural transformation. Language and Life on Ocracoke by Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser captures the rich linguistic heritage of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, celebrating the voices and stories of a resilient island community. And in Dilemmas of Authenticity, Zaid Adhami examines how young US Muslims grapple with questions of faith, belonging, and public perception in a post-9/11 world. Learn more about these new titles below and see everything new this month on our Hot Off the Press page.

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Language and Life on Ocracoke: he Living History of the Brogue by Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram, Candy Gaskill

“A full portrait of life, voice, and work in a colorful, in many ways unique community. What makes this study so interesting, entertaining, and valuable is the way that it successfully combines history, linguistics, social and cultural analysis, and the drama of local characters. The book feeds the natural human curiosity we all have about how and why people speak the way that they do.” —Lucinda H. MacKethan, North Carolina State University

“The authors explored nearly every facet of the island’s life and language to present a picture that captures not only the interesting features that linguists will appreciate but also a vision of people, of tradition, and of culture that attempts to pay back the locals for sharing their language. They do so in a way that is accessible and enjoyable to read.”—Jennifer Cramer, University of Kentucky

Secular Sensibilities: Romance, Marriage, and Contemporary Algerian Immigration to France and Québec by Jennifer A. Selby

Where Religion Lives Series

“In this beautifully written and engaged book, Jennifer Selby explores the multiple ways in which state regulations, especially those concerning marriages among spouses whose legal and civil status is considered deficient and requiring control or examination, shape experiences and practices of romance and intimacy.”—Marian Burchardt, Leipzig University

“Selby demonstrates with great subtlety that secularism is not just a legal regime but also a set of bodily and mental dispositions with the power to affect intimate matters such as love and romance. Her book’s rich ethnographic evidence shows how secularism collides with coloniality, racism, and sexuality to play out powerfully in the everyday lives of her Algerian-origin subjects.”—Julia Martínez-Ariño, University of Groningen

Dilemmas of Authenticity: The American Muslim Crisis of Faith by Zaid Adhami

Where Religion Lives Series

“Through insightful ethnography and superb analysis, Adhami convincingly argues that a contemporary ‘crisis of faith’ among American Muslims stems from the convergence of global Islamic revivalism and American spirituality, both of which revolve around concerns over ‘authenticity.’ Expertly weaving debates in Islamic studies and American religions, Adhami shows how this crisis has generated new possibilities for individual and communal religiosity in contemporary Islam.”—Justine Howe, Case Western Reserve University

“This is an important book, written in engaging and accessible prose while sacrificing nothing in terms of conceptual and philosophical sophistication. Adhami draws on a wealth of ethnographic and historical data to advance multiple conversations in religious studies, American Muslim studies, and American studies.”—Alireza Doostdar, The University of Chicago