Overview

This book challenges the entrenched marginaliaation of Muslim contributions to political theory, exposing the epistemological biases that have privileged Western traditions while silencing rich intellectual legacies from the Islamic world. Centering on the 19th-century reformer Khayr al-Din al-Tunsi, it offers the first comprehensive analysis and translation of his political writings through the lens of Islamic jurisprudence-specifically, the Maqid al-Shara (Objectives of the Law). Al-Tunsi's thought presents a compelling synthesis of Islamic ethical-legal frameworks with selective European institutional models, articulating a vision of governance rooted in public welfare, justice and moral responsibility. Far from pre-modern or merely theological, his work demonstrates the dynamic potential of Islamic political thinking to address challenges of colonialism, bureaucratic stagnation and reform. By reintegrating voices like al-Tunisi's into mainstream discourse, this study not only recovers neglected intellectual history but also expands the conceptual horizons of political theory itself.

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9781474459112

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Reviews

Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi has long been recognized as one of the iconic figures of 19th-century Islamic political reform. Chief minister in both Tunisia and the Ottoman Empire, he was central to efforts to reform and rationalize governance in those states. However, there has never been a full, book-length treatment of his ideas and political theory. Deina Abdelkader has now filled that gap, giving us an astute and deeply informed analysis of a thinker whose views on justice, progress, and public welfare constitute an important chapter in the history of Islamic political thought. -- Andrew F. March, University of Massachusetts Amherst With its presentation of analysis of a significant intellectual and activist who gets little coverage in contemporary studies, this book provides an important addition to scholarship on the nature of the decolonial world in a time of major revisions of methodology and conceptualizations within the humanities and social sciences. -- John Voll, Georgetown University

Author Information

Deina Abdelkader is a scholar of international relations with a specialised focus on Islamic activism and the intersections of politics, religion, and culture in the Middle East and North Africa. Her academic expertise lies in the field of comparative democratization in the Muslim world. As an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, she teaches a range of courses, including Islam and Politics, Islamic Legal Thought, Middle East and North African Politics, and Women in Islam. She currently serves as Director of the university’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

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