Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement

by Berna Turam

Throughout the Middle East, the clash between Islamic forces and authoritarian states has undermined many democratization efforts. But in Turkey, Islamic actors—from the Gülen movement to the pro-Islamist Justice and Development Party—have been able to negotiate the terms of secular liberal democracy. This book explores the socio-political conditions and cultural venues in which Islamic movements cease to confront and start to cooperate with secular states. Though both the Gülen and JP have ambivalent attitudes toward individual freedoms and various aspects of civil society, their continuing engagements with the state have encouraged democracy in Turkey. As they contest issues of education and morality but cooperate in ethnic and gender politics, they redraw the boundaries between public sites and private lives. Showing opportunities for engagement between Islam and the state, from Turkey to Kazakhstan to the United States, Between Islam and the State illustrates a successful means of negotiating between religion and politics.

235 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2006

Reviews

[Erkan Saka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be one of the most substantive ethnographical work on the Gülen movement. The fieldwork took place before the tension between the movement and Turkish government emerged. A portrayal of the moment between roughly 1990s to 2010s. It is a bit dense writing, a little bit repetitive but still worth reading. There are so many clues. The author could conduct a multi-sited ethnography, could get in touch with many significant informants. I am still reading the book, some of my ideas might change but at least so far I should say that the author's argumentation is suggestive, very careful to details and the book is more for an academic engagement than for a journalist treatment.