Islamism and Cultural Expression in the Arab World

Abstract

Whereas most studies of Islamism focus on politics and religious ideology, this book analyses the ways in which Islamism in the Arab world has been defined, reflected, transmitted and contested in a range of creative and other cultural forms. It covers a range of contexts of production and reception, from the mid-twentieth century to the present, in Arabic, English and French, including fiction, autobiography, feature films, television series, television reportage, the press and new media. Throughout, the book highlights the multiple forms and contested interpretations of Islamism in the Arab world, that is the Middle East and North Africa, exploring trends and tensions in the ways Islamism is represented to Arab audiences. It considers repeated and idiosyncratic themes, motifs, structures of feeling and modes of engagement, and discusses the wider struggle for symbolic power in the region, outlining Islamism’s intersections and conflicts with nationalism, the left, anti-imperialism and feminism.