Western Imaginings: The Intellectual Contest to Define Wahhabism

by Rohan Davis

Overview

Wahhabism is often understood as a radical version of Islam responsible for inspiring and motivating Islamic terrorism. Western Imaginings: The Intellectual Contest to Define Wahhabism is an inquiry into how Wahhabism has been understood and represented by Western intellectuals, particularly those belonging to the neo-conservative and liberal traditions. In contrast to the existing literature that treats Wahhabism as a historical phenomenon or a monolithic theological ideology, a literature often written by authors keen to promote geopolitical interests or with ideological axes to grind, Davis's work considers Wahhabism as a discursive construct crafted and popularized by a Western intellectual elite. This comprehensive study speaks to how and why Western intellectuals have chosen to represent Wahhabism in specific ways, ranging from an analysis of the particular rhetorical techniques employed by these intellectuals to a consideration of the religious and political beliefs that inspire and motivate their decisions. Western Imaginings is aimed at students of political philosophy, intellectual traditions, and sociology; media and policy professionals; and anyone interested in how Islamic doctrines like Wahhabism have been represented in an international context framed by a heightened anxiety about radical Islam.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617978760
Publisher:	American University in Cairo Press, The
Publication date:	03/21/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	376 KB

About the Author

Rohan Davis holds a PhD from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He specializes in the sociology of intellectuals tradition and has a keen interest in the neo-conservative and liberal intellectual traditions.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Wahhabism as a Contested Category 2. On Intellectuals, Prejudice, and Understanding the Social World 3. Dialectics, Ideal Types, Fuzzy Categories, and Analyzing Language 4. Spreading the Rule of Reason: Liberal Imaginings of Wahhabism 5. Themata, Generative Metaphors, and Making Sense of Liberal Intellectuals' Representations of Wahhabism 6. Those Evil and Violent Savages: The Neoconservative Assault on Wahhabism, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Struggle for Self-Determination Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index