Radical Arab Nationalism and Political Islam

This is an excellent work, even a great book in its field. It writes from the inside of its topics-Islam, modernity, nationalism-and brings them together to show both their meeting point and their incompatibilities. The work is erudite, committed, communicative, from a position of deep absorption of classics in all these fields. Addi joins Abdou, Arkoun, and Taha (good company) in trying to square the triangle and comes out with integrity. -- William Zartman, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University-SAIS Sociologist Lahouari Addi unpacks the dynamic histories of radical Arab nationalism and political Islam, two major competing ideologies and state-building projects in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa. This book is also an original and lucid intervention focusing on Algeria's history through a wide variety of topics including secularization and Islamic law, sovereignty and authority, nationhood and modernity, morality and religion, ritual and social relationships. -- Susan Slymovics, Professor of Anthropology, UCLA

Is political Islam the heir of radical Arab nationalism? If political Islam succeeds, will it face the same challenges faced by radical Arab nationalism? Will it be able to implement modernity? This book assesses the history and political legacy of radical Arab nationalism to show that it contained the seeds of its own destruction.In Radical Arab Nationalism and Political Islam, Lahouari Addi attempts to assess the history and political legacy of radical Arab nationalism to show that it contained the seeds of its own destruction. While the revolutionary regimes promised economic and social development and sought the unity of Arab nations, they did not account for social transformations, such as freedom of speech, that would eventually lead to their decline. But while radical Arab nationalism fell apart, authoritarian populism did not disappear. Today it is expressed by political Islam that aims to achieve the kind of social justice radical Arab nationalism once promised. Addi creatively links the past and present while also raising questions about the future of Arab countries. Is political Islam the heir of radical Arab nationalism? If political Islam succeeds, will it face the same challenges faced by radical Arab nationalism? Will it be able to implement modernity? The future of Arab countries, Addi writes, depends on this crucial issue. It is published in collaboration with Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University.