The Islamist Turn on Ideological Grounds: Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran in Comparative Perspective

by Adnan Türegün

Overview

Many states in the Islamic Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia that had previously experienced some measure of secularism turned to Islam in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries. In so doing, they have changed the political landscape of their nations and the entire region, also significantly influencing international politics. The Islamist Turn outlines, explains, and demonstrates this change. And, on all three counts, the book fills an important gap in our collective knowledge by developing a typology of Islamist turns based on the institutional aspect of the change; offering an ideational explanation of the turns with an emphasis on the political ideologies and strategies of rulers; and studying the cases of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran as exemplary of the Islamist turns in the region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031867811
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	06/16/2025
Series:	Middle East Today
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Adnan Türegün is an adjunct research Professor of Sociology at Carleton University, Canada. He uses comparative methodology in his work and emphasizes the role of ideas in social outcomes. His areas of interest include Islamicization, state–Islam relations over the longue durée, and autocratic rule.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction:Islamist Turns, Ideational Perspective, and Comparative Analysis.- Chapter 2: Varieties of Islamism in MENASA Politics.- Chapter 3: The World-Historical Context of Islamisms.- Chapter 4: From Kemalist Modernism to the Turkish–Islamic Synthesis and Turco-Islamism.- Chapter 5: The Egyptian Conundrum: Shades of Modernism and Islamism.- Chapter 6: Transforming the Idea of Pakistan from Nation Building into Defence of Islam.- Chapter 7: Iran: Breaking with Pahlavi Modernism and Shi i Orthodoxy.- Chapter 8: Conclusion: Revisiting Islamism and Comparative Politics.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In this excellent book, Adnan Türegün explains how ideational factors have played a key role in the politics of Islamicization in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. By showing how the ideas and strategies of national leaders shaped different Islamist turns, he stresses the importance of ideational analysis in the study of political mobilization over religion. I strongly recommend this book to both ideational scholars and students of the religion and politics nexus.” (Daniel Béland, James McGill Professor of Political Science, McGill University)

“The Islamist Turn is an ambitious comparative study that delves deep into the causes and forms of Islamicization in Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran. Often studied separately, Türegün brilliantly brings these critical cases together to develop a typology with substantial detail. His ideational theory captures both the convergence around increasing Islamicization and the divergence in how Islamicization manifests across the Muslim world. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in de-secularization, religion, and politics.” (Sebnem Gumuscu, Associate Professor of Political Science, Middlebury College)

“This book offers the most comprehensive theoretical and empirical analysis of Islamic movements, examining their causes, consequences, and transformative impact over time. Türegün’s insightful comparative approach not only traces the evolution of diverse Islamic ideas and actors but also addresses critical gaps in the literature, making it an indispensable resource for understanding the dynamics of Islamic movements.” (M. Hakan Yavuz, Professor, University of Utah and the author of Nostalgia for the Empire)