Description: The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism initiates a dialogue between the discourse of three of the most discussed figures in the history of the Sunni Islamic movement--Hasan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and Osama bin Laden--and contemporary debates across religion and political theory. Redressing the inefficiency of the terms in which the debate on Islam and Islamism is generally conducted, the book examines the role played by tradition, modernity, and transmodernity as major "symbolic scenarios" of Islamist discourses, highlighting the internal complexity and dynamism of Islamism.
Review Quotes:
'Amidst the frenzy of scholarship and commentary on contemporary Islamism, Andrea Mura's The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism distinguishes itself by offering a deeply insightful exploration of Islamism understood as political thought and as the basis of political identity. Undoubtedly one of the most original treatments of the subject to appear in recent years.' - Peter Mandaville, George Mason University, USA
'The strength of the book lies in bringing complexity, nuance and an appreciation of historical difference to that over-loaded, over-simplified and now sadly ubiquitous term "Islamism". His individual approach to three distinct figures within that bloated term is long overdue amongst Western theorists.' - Ian Almond, Georgetown University, Qatar