Review Article : Muslim Politics

Abstract

Despite the controversial choice of title, and its accompanying risk of homogenizing a complex phenomenon, this article argues that, in their book, Muslim Politics, Eickelman and Piscatori have managed to present the complexity and diversity of the issues involved in a lucid and elaborate manner. Each chapter of the book is reviewed in terms of the strengths of its main arguments and the main indicators used—such as family, religious actors and the state. This article also argues that, by avoiding the usual dichotomies of social analysis, the authors have clearly captured various moments of interaction. By combining the complex web of local and international actors, Muslim Politics has illuminated in a comprehensive and eloquent manner many of the specificities of the various situations inherent in politics in general, and in Muslim politics in particular.