Overview

The debate continues unabated: Is political Islam decipherable through the tenets of the Islamic tradition—or is it a tool of secular actors who shrewdly misuse religious references? Is it an expression of modernity, or a return to the past? Eschewing these dichotomies, Jocelyne Cesari demystifies the continuous process of interaction between secular and religious actors and institutions that is at the core of political mobilization in the name of Islam. Cesari traces the origins of political Islam to the inception of the modern nation-state, revealing the decisive role of secular nationalist rulers in its creation. In the process, she puts to rest the myth that there has been a lack of modernization in the Muslim world—and shows how that myth has proven dangerous. Ranging from Senegal to Egypt, from Indonesia to Iraq, her analysis provides a much needed corrective to the “conventional wisdom.”

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9781626376922

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Reviews

Cesari provides a new and powerful framework for understanding the conditions of possibility for political Islam in a wide range of countries.... Her book represents the most important work on political Islam to appear in more than a decade. -PeterMandaville, GeorgeMason University A grounding work.... Cesari adds nuance to the question of how modernity evolved in the Muslim context and unravels common assumptions and cemented theories pertaining to political Islam.... Fascinating and unique. -Melissa Finn, University of Waterloo

Author Information

Jocelyne Cesari is professor of religion and politics at the University of Birmingham; senior research fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, andWorld Affairs; and professorial fellow at the Australian Catholic University.

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