Imposing Modernity in the Global South: Studies of Coloniality and Decoloniality in Muslim Societies and States

by Omer Awass

Overview

This book traces the colonial foundations of modernity as it emerged in non-Western contexts, offering new theories and challenging Eurocentric accounts.

Focusing on Muslim societies, the book maps the entanglements of empire, secularism, capitalism and the nation-state within global power structures. The chapters reveal how modern political, economic, and social orders have been shaped—and often distorted—by imperial legacies.

From legal renewal to postcolonial governance and global finance, this is a unique study that explores the ways in which states and societies in the Global South continue to grapple with, adapt to and resist the pressures of a hegemonic modernity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529253344
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2026
Series:	Decolonization and Social Worlds
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Omer Awass is Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American Islamic College in Chicago, US.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Studies in Coloniality

1. Mapping the Emergence of the Global Power Field (GPF) and Its Penetration in the Muslim World c.1850-1950

2. “Double Consciousness,” Orientalism, and Colonial Subjectivity: Understanding the Socio-Historical Dynamics for the Emergence of Western Cultural Hegemony in the Age of European Colonialism c.1850-1950

3. Attaining Nationhood: The Nineteenth-Century Historical and Political Antecedents for the Twentieth-Century Emergence of the Nation-State in the Middle East

4. Secularization Re-Conceived: The Political Genealogy of Secularism in the Muslim World

5. Birth of the Nation-State in the Middle East: Islam, Secularity, and Modernity

Part 2: Studies in Decoloniality and Neo-Coloniality

6. The Transformation of the Global Power Field (GPF) After World War II and Its Impact on the Global South

7. The Projection of a Globalized Communicative Field (GCF): Socio-Political Tectonics of Western Cultural/Epistemic Imperialism in the Information Age C.1945-Present

8. Negotiating Modernity: The Transformation of Islamic Law in the Postcolonial Era

9. Political Revolution and Decolonizing the Modern Nation-State: Religious Governance in Contemporary Iran

10. Normative Responses to Neoliberal Globalization - Fatwas and Capitalist Ideology

Conclusion