Author: Butko-Thomas-John
Date: 1999
Institution: University-of-Alberta-Canada (0351)
Subject:
History
Language: English
Abstract:The phenomenon of "Political Islam" has increased in both scope and importance over the past two decades. Beginning with the revolution in Iran, its impact in the Middle East and the international theatre have made it potentially the most destabilizing development in the region. It is because of these circumstances that the phenomenon of political Islam, while eliciting a very strong response in a number of Western capitals, remains, for the most part, greatly misunderstood, as the West continues to assume a uniformly aggressive stance against all these movements, regardless of their professed aims. This dissertation has sought to deconstruct some of the myths and biases that surround the expansion of political Islam. In examining this phenomenon through a Gramscian framework, the aim is to present primarily indigineous movements specific to a certain region through Western concepts and terminology, and in the process, make it more easily understandable to Western audiences. Thus, the alien nature and discourse of the Islamist movements should not confuse the fact that these movements, are most specially political movements, which originated in response to a universal phenomenon of modernization epitomized by relative material disadvantage and a closed political system. This study first conceptualizes the phenomenon of political Islam in both its theoretical (political doctrine) and practical (bases of social support) forms. After presenting the specifics of the Gramscian theoretical framework, the theory is then applied to both Muhammad and the current case of Palestine (e.g., Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood) to demonstrate the underlying link within political Islam from the time of jahiliyyah to the present. In this sense, the conclusion reached is that a Gramscian framework provides a distinct interpretation of a complicated phenomenon and is a more appropriate method through which to examine political Islam. SO: VOLUME 61-03A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 1141 NO: AAINQ46813