Matthew Wilkinson

Borderland Anxieties explores the complex relationships between liberalization, gender and migration in Nagaland, a state in Northeast India that is emerging from decades of armed conflict. In the wake of Nagaland’s conflict, liberalization and an ‘opening up’ of the state to new connections and flows take place alongside ongoing militarization, nationalist insurgency, and political unrest. Nagaland’s complex peace-conflict continuum has encouraged a reordering of possibilities for men and for women in the state, but also, attempts to maintain fundamental social roles that are seen as defining an ethnic group, as foundations of identity, and for many as uncompromisable. In exploring the complex dynamics of peace, conflict, and tension in Nagaland, Borderland Anxieties offers a window to understanding how gender, politics and anxiety intersect in a borderland state experiencing rapid social, political, and economic changes.

Borderland Anxieties explores the complex relationships between liberalization, gender and migration in Nagaland, a state in Northeast India that is emerging from decades of armed conflict. In the wake of Nagaland’s conflict, liberalization and an ‘opening up’ of the state to new connections and flows take place alongside ongoing militarization, nationalist insurgency, and political unrest. Nagaland’s complex peace-conflict continuum has encouraged a reordering of possibilities for men and for women in the state, but also, attempts to maintain fundamental social roles that are seen as defining an ethnic group, as foundations of identity, and for many as uncompromisable. In exploring the complex dynamics of peace, conflict, and tension in Nagaland, Borderland Anxieties offers a window to understanding how gender, politics and anxiety intersect in a borderland state experiencing rapid social, political, and economic changes.

Are you a prison officer who feels nervous about dealing with Muslims on the wings? Are you a prison chaplain who wants to know how your chaplaincy affects the lives of prisoners? Are you a policymaker who needs a robust base of evidence for Islam in prison? Are you an academic or a journalist seeking ground-breaking social science in a contentious field? Based on original evidence from 279 Muslim prisoners and 79 prison officers, we explore how Muslims come to be incarcerated, how the practice of Islam affects prison life and rehabilitation, the types of Islam and the effects of Islamic conversion in prison and the professional practice of officers and chaplains. We also investigate the common belief that incarceration fosters Islamist extremism and suggest improvements to faith provision and rehabilitative opportunities for Muslim prisoners.

“He commanded those pilots to dive. To ignore their screens and fly into each other. Whatever the reasons.” Stricken by the loss of his family in a plane crash, Nikolai Koslov resolves to see justice done. His lonely, unwavering quest takes him to the edge of reason, vengeance and the meaning of mutual forgiveness. A taut, thrilling and contemporary tale, Matthew Wilkinson’s new play brings to the stage the spare, emotional clout of a Greek tragedy. My Eyes Went Dark premiered at the Finborough Theatre, London in August 2015 and was nominated for three Off West End Awards including Best Play. It transferred to the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 2016 and 59E59 Theatres, New York 2017.

A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World provides a comprehensively theorised and practical approach to thinking systematically and deeply about Islam and Muslims in a multi-faith world. It makes the case for a contemporary educational philosophy to help young Muslims surmount the challenges of post-modernity and to transcend the hiatuses and obstacles that they face in their interaction and relationships with non-Muslims and visa-versa. It argues that the philosophy of critical realism in its original, dialectical and metaReal moments so fittingly ‘underlabours’ (Bhaskar, 1975) for the contemporary interpretation, clarification and conceptual deepening of Islamic doctrine, practice and education as to suggest a distinctive branch of critical realist philosophy, specifically suited for this purpose. This approach is called Islamic Critical Realism. The book proceeds to explain how this Islamic Critical Realist approach can serve the interpretation of the consensual elements of Islamic doctrine, such as the six elements of Islamic belief and the five ‘pillars’ of Islamic practice, so that these essential features of the Muslim way of life can help Muslim young people to contribute positively to life in multi-faith liberal democracies in a globalising world. Finally, the book shows how this Islamic Critical Realist approach can be brought to bear in humanities classrooms by history, religious education and citizenship teachers to help Muslim young people engage informatively and transformatively with themselves and others in multi-faith contexts. A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World has been awarded the 2015 Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize

***WINNER: Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize, International Association of Critical Realism.***A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World provides a comprehensively theorised and practical approach to thinking systematically and deeply about Islam and Muslims in a multi-faith world. It makes the case for a contemporary educational philosophy to help young Muslims surmount the challenges of post-modernity and to transcend the hiatuses and obstacles that they face in their interaction and relationships with non-Muslims and visa-versa. It argues that the philosophy of critical realism in its original, dialectical and metaReal moments so fittingly ‘underlabours’ (Bhaskar, 1975) for the contemporary interpretation, clarification and conceptual deepening of Islamic doctrine, practice and education as to suggest a distinctive branch of critical realist philosophy, specifically suited for this purpose. This approach is called Islamic Critical Realism. The book proceeds to explain how this Islamic Critical Realist approach can serve the interpretation of the consensual elements of Islamic doctrine, such as the six elements of Islamic belief and the five ‘pillars’ of Islamic practice, so that these essential features of the Muslim way of life can help Muslim young people to contribute positively to life in multi-faith liberal democracies in a globalising world. Finally, the book shows how this Islamic Critical Realist approach can be brought to bear in humanities classrooms by history, religious education and citizenship teachers to help Muslim young people engage informatively and transformatively with themselves and others in multi-faith contexts.

It is generally uncommon to die twice in the space of twenty-four hours, but Todd Sykes manages to do just that. Starring as the third member of a ghost-hunting reality TV show, Todd and his intrepid team spend many nights locked in historic and allegedly haunted locations, seeking out signs of the paranormal. Their show is hugely popular, mainly due to the remarkable number of ghostly sightings and sounds they get during each 'investigation', which their many millions of fanatical fans enthusiastically lap up each week. Something that Todd never mentions to anyone, of course, is that he emphatically does not believe in ghosts or the paranormal, and he has more influence over what happens during those dark hours than anybody realizes. One evening, Todd returns home after filming and, completely without warning, his world is suddenly and shockingly turned upside down in a way that he could never have imagined. His core beliefs seem to have been shattered, and his life begins to fall apart at an alarming pace as he desperately tries to cope with each new sudden and unexpected surprise that is relentlessly thrown at him. Not only does this lead to his death - twice - but Todd then sinks deeper and deeper into a terrifying mental quagmire, changing his life, and the lives of those around him, forever.