Political Islam

Catalog description

This course studies the ideological foundations of contemporary political Islam through tracing its evolution via the writings and treatises of its most influential thinkers. Importantly, it studies political Islam in its various manifestations not only in Muslim majority contexts, but also in the West. Students will become familiar with the activism of pioneer Islamist movements like the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and upon completing the course, will be able to identify the primary ideological differences between violent and non-violent manifestations of political Islam, its impact on social relations across geographical contexts, its resilience and success among Muslim publics, as well as obstacles to its democratization.