Islam, Democracy, and the State in North Africa

by Entelis, John P.

• ISBN13: 9780253211316
• ISBN10: 025321131X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-11-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

"Rarely is a collection of essays as coherent and of such uniformly high quality as is this one. This book makes a major contribution to our efforts to understand, and so competently interact with, the forces of political, economic, and social change in states where Islamic ideals form a vibrant component of the culture." -- American Historical Review"Fielding a veteran team of American Maghribi specialists, this book discusses Islam and politics, human rights, aspects of political economy, and the international dimension of prospects for democratization in Islamic North African states.... All chapters advance useful arguments based on solid research." -- Foreign AffairsIn the late 1980s, misguided economic policies, bureaucratic mismanagement, political corruption, and cultural alienation combined to create a popular demand for change in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It seemed for a time that a new and more open politics would transform the region. Instead, authoritarian states mobilized to repress the populist opposition led by politicized Islamist movements. Analyzing developments over the last two decades from the perspectives of political culture and political economy, leading American scholars provide insights into the region's continuing political crisis.

Author Biography

John P. Entelis is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Middle East Studies Program at Fordham University. His publications include State and Society in Algeria, Comparative Politics of North Africa, and Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon.

Table of Contents

Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Sultans, Saints, and Presidents: The Islamic Community and the State in North Africa	p. 1
Muslim Politics: The Prospects for Democracy in North Africa and the Middle East	p. 17
Political Islam in the Maghreb: The Nonviolent Dimension	p. 43
The Politics of Human Rights in the Maghreb	p. 75
The Origins of Popular Support for Islamist Movements: A Political Economy Analysis	p. 93
Prospects for Liberalism in North Africa: Identities and Interests in Preindustrial Welfare States	p. 127
From Social Contracts to Extraction Contracts: The Political Economy of Authoritarianism and Democracy	p. 141
Crises of Money and Power: Transitions to Democracy?	p. 177
The International Politics of Democracy in North Africa	p. 205
Index	p. 223
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