Francois Burgat Libri

The book delves into the complexities of political Islam, challenging the notion that it solely represents a threat to the West. Through interviews with key Islamist figures across various cities, the author explores how these movements seek to reclaim a culture affected by colonization while also advocating for democracy and tolerance. Topics such as the intersection of Islam and modernity, the role of women in Islamism, and the discourse on violence are examined, providing a nuanced perspective on a pivotal aspect of contemporary international relations.

Looks at how the rise of political Islam has been expressed: first in the Arab world, then in its interactions with French and Western societies, and finally in its interactions with other European and Western societies. -- .

French social scientist Francois Burgat and Time correspondent William Dowell collaborated in 1993 to produce an English translation of Burgat's L'Islamisme au Maghreb. That highly acclaimed work, published in Paris in 1988, was one of the first studies to probe the complexity and diversity of the Islamic movement through interviews with and speeches of the members and founders of the movement -- in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Burgat and Dowell's edition offered results of new research not included in the 1988 French publication. Now Burgat has added an epilogue, describing the turbulent Algerian situation through the summer of 1996. This new edition also includes a much needed index to help readers locate the many primary sources cited in the book. The Institut de Recherches et d'Etudes sur le Monde Arabe et Musulman at the Universite d'Aix-Marseille and the French Ministry of Culture cooperated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin in the translation and production of this seminal resource on contemporary Maghrebi political culture.