Capturing Islam: Religion, Identity, and the Turn to Islamism

Abstract

This essay explores the benefits and limitations of attempting to capture certain Muslim identities with the terms “fundamentalism” and “Islamism,” commenting particularly on two recent anthologies on the topic. It finds that in both cases limitations outweigh benefits, arguing that discussions of Muslim identity are better served by leaving these terms out of the conversation. While the essay gives several reasons for this determination, two are prominent. First, the terms lack precision. Whereas this has long been a difficulty, the essay suggests that the scholarship examined has not resolved it, and the criticisms of the terms’ critics remain unanswered. Second, if one asks the question “why should we use these terms?” there does not appear to be any compelling affirmative answer. We have at our disposal other terms that carry less problematical baggage and better serve analysis.