Radicalism and Political Reform in the Islamic and Western Worlds

by Kai Hafez

Overview

Over the last decade, political Islam has been denounced in the Western media and in the surrounding literature as a terrorist or fascist movement that is entirely at odds with Western democratic ideology. Kai Hafez's book overturns these arguments, contending that, despite its excesses, as a radical form of political opposition the movement plays a central role in the processes of democratization and modernization, and that these processes have direct parallels in the history and politics of the West. By analyzing the evolution of Christian democratization through the upheavals of the Reformation, colonisation, fascism, and totalitarianism, the book shows how radicalism and violence were constant accompaniments to political change, and that these components - despite assertions to the contrary - are still part of Western political culture to this day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780511848735
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/24/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	647 KB

About the Author

Kai Hafez is a Professor (Chair) and currently also the Director of the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany. He was a Senior Research Fellow of the German Middle East Institute in Hamburg and a Visiting Fellow to the University of Oxford. Hafez has been a frequent advisor to German governments regarding the Western-Islamic dialogue and is a member of the German Islam Conference. He is the author of The Myth of Media Globalization and the editor of numerous books, including Arab Media: Power and Weakness and The Islamic World and the West: An Introduction to Political Cultures and International Relations.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Modernity: 1. Concepts of modernity: reform, reformation and radicalism; 2. Political cultures and social movements: the social rationality of cultural change; Part II. Democracy: 3. The discourse of democratization: grey zones on the intersection of religion and secularism; 4. Political system change: the radicals' democracy; Part III. Political Violence: 5. Authoritarianism: dictatorship between fascism and modernization; 6. Imperialism: autocracy, democracy and violence; 7. Terrorism and non-violent resistance: extremism and pacifism across cultures; Conclusion: from 'holy war' to democracy? The current state of Islamic and Western modernity.

Editorial Reviews

'This well-thought, well-written, well-argued book is a welcome addition to the debate on Islam, democracy and modernity. It aims at shattering stereotypes and well-ingrained ideas about the alleged militancy of Islamism or 'political Islam' and its anti-democratic character as well as its opposition to modernity. The remarkable ease and clarity with which Hafez writes render this book a joy to read.' Joseph Alagha, International Affairs

From the Publisher