Salafism and political order in Africa / Sebastian Elischer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Elischer, Sebastian, 1979- author.

Series:

African studies series ; 154.

African studies series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Salafīyah--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Salafīyah.

Extremists--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Extremists.

Islam and politics--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Islam and politics.

Islamic fundamentalism--Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Islamic fundamentalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 298 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Summary:

Violent Islamic extremism is affecting a growing number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In some, jihadi Salafi organizations have established home bases and turned into permanent security challengers. However, other countries have managed to prevent the formation or curb the spread of homegrown jihadi Salafi organizations. In this book, Sebastian Elischer provides a comparative analysis of how different West and East African states have engaged with fundamentalist Muslim groups between the 1950s and today. In doing so, he establishes a causal link between state-imposed organizational gatekeepers in the Islamic sphere and the absence of homegrown jihadi Salafism. Illustrating that the contemporary manifestation of violent Islamic extremism in sub-Saharan Africa is an outcome of strategic political decisions that are deeply embedded in countries' autocratic pasts, he challenges conventional notions of statehood on the African continent, and provides new insight into the evolving relationships between secular and religious authority.

Contents:

Introduction: Africa's Changing Security Landscape

Cases, Concepts, and Variation

Critical Junctures and the Formation of State-Led National Islamic Associations

Missed Opportunities and the Formation of Islamic Federations

The State as Demobilizer of Activist Salafism

The State as Enabler and Radicalizer of Activist Salafism

From Theory Generation to Theory Testing

Autocratic Legacies, the State, and Salafism in Africa

Conclusion: Reviewing State-Islamic Relations in Africa.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 06 Aug 2021).

ISBN:

1-108-75025-7

1-108-75478-3

1-108-69057-2

OCLC:

1260689724