ABSTRACT
This study explores how lifestyle journalism shapes new Muslim subjectivities in a context of surging consumerism and strengthening Islamic bourgeoisie in contemporary Turkey. The study focuses on the Islamic fashion and lifestyle magazine Aysha and draws on a qualitative analysis of the pages offering guidance on religiosity, spirituality and the consumption of leisure. The content of Aysha provides insight about the creative ways in which religion and consumerism are reconciled in Islamic lifestyle media. The study uncovers how the reconciliation is formulated with regard to the relation between religiosity, spirituality and leisure consumption, and argues that Islamic lifestyle media introduces the consumption of luxury leisure as a desirable part of religious and spiritual experiences. Exploring Turkey’s Islamic lifestyle media demonstrates the creative ways in which lifestyle journalism provides narratives that not just express, but also foster new consumerist desires.
