Islamisms: Navigations between the Nation-State and the Caliphate moves beyond viewing Islamism within the security/terrorism narrative by viewing Islamisms as various forms of postcolonial resistance to Westphalian models of governance, authority, and territorialisations. Islamist movements are in various ways denationalising key elements of the nation-state, including nation-state sovereignty, national solidarities, and legitimate violence. Islamist movements are constructing alternative geographies that are transforming the territoriality of the nation-state.
Examining a wide range of Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brothers, Hamas, Hizbullah, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS), the author advocates that in many instances an imperial framework, rather than the assumed nation-state model, is a more appropriate tool in analysing the motivations and strategies of Islamist movements, contending that the nation-state is just one paradigm for analysis. The book demonstrates the case for both nation-state and religious/historic understandings of political geographies to be considered simultaneously with regard to Islamism(s).
This book is multidisciplinary, and will be relevant to students and scholars of religious studies, Islamic theology, history, politics of memory, post-colonial perspectives, sociology, political geography, and political anthropology. It will also interest policymakers wishing to broaden their understanding of political Islam.
By:
Samantha May (University of Aberdeen UK)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032500126
ISBN 10: 1032500123
Series: Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 24 November 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction. 1. The Westphalian Framework, its Failures, and Contemporary Challenges 2. Concepts of Space and Alternative Political Geographies 3. The Imperial Past: A Model for the Future? 4. Sovereignty and Violence in Sunni Islamist Groups: Egypt and Algeria 5. Sovereignty and Violence: Hizbullah 6. Re-imagining Islamised Spaces: Takfir w‘al Hijra and Hamas 7. Islamisms in Northern Nigeria – From the Sokoto Caliphate to Boko Haram 8. Recreating the Caliphate: The Islamic State Group (IS). Conclusion
Samantha May is a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Aberdeen, UK. As passionate about teaching as much as research, Dr May offers courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. They previously authored Islamic Charity: How Charitable Giving Became Seen as a Threat to National Security, 2021, Bloomsbury.
