Politics of Modern Muslim Subjectivities

Examining modern Muslim identity constructions, the authors introduce a novel analytical framework to Islamic Studies, drawing on theories of successive modernities, sociology of religion, and poststructuralist approaches to modern subjectivity, as well as the results of extensive fieldwork in the Middle East, particularly Egypt and Jordan.

“This is a timely volume. It is for the most part well written, on balance avoids jargon, and is judiciously argued. … scholars will need to give this volume serious consideration in the ongoing efforts we make to construe the phenomenon of identity formation in contemporary societies in the Arab world.” (Soraya Altorki, Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 22 (2), April, 2016)

“Politics of Modern Muslim Subjectivities is important because it attempts, largely successfully, to go beyond the problems thrown up by the legacy of Said’s critique. … This study is important because it establishes some secure theoretical principles by which that uncertainty about contingent futures can be contained.” (Bryan S. Turner, Contemporary Islam, Vol. 9, 2015)

"In this book, Dietrich Jung and his collaborators demonstrate theoretically and empirically how we are all 'moderns' in today's global world but modern in different ways. They do this concretely on the basis of historical analyses and contemporary research conducted among activists in social welfare and youth organizations in Jordan and Egypt. They demonstrate how modern transformations happened and are happening in these countries roughly in sequence with those that have been occurring in Western countries; how 'modernity' did not come to the West first and then, if at all, to other countries. Most significantly, their research demonstrates that Islam, in these instances, has been and still is a central element and resource in these transformations, a key part of becoming and being modern rather than simply a reactionary force harkening to a bygone era." - Peter Beyer, University of Ottawa, Canada

"Just when you thought you knew everything you needed to know about the history of modernity as a global and a Middle Eastern phenomenon, a new book comesalong that employs the notions of successive and multiple modernities to invite you to rethink both and their connections to each other. If theory is not what you are looking for in a new book on Islamic modernities, then the empirical case studies of Jordan and Egypt that use the study of the Muslim subjectivities of men and women of different generations and classes to expand this new field will offer important rewards. This is an excellent book that is worthy of your attention and mine." - Mervat F. Hatem, Howard University, USA

"Politics of Modern Muslim Subjectivities is a breathtaking must-read for anybody interested in politics, religion, and society in the modern Middle East. The authors make a great and unmatched contribution to the literature on Islam's complex and fascinating embedding in the global order. Based on social theories of the modern, the book studies the relationship between politics and religion, the status of Muslim charity and youth organizations, andthe individual modern subjectivities of young Muslims in Egypt and Jordan. It meets the highest standards of rigorous, theory-driven empirical research and provides an intellectually rich frame for understanding better both how modern Islam is coherently integrated into - rather than opposed to - the global modern and why such integration is yet anything but a homogenous or linear process." - Stephan Stetter, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Germany

Author Dietrich Jung: Dietrich Jung is Head of the Center for Contemporary Middle East Studies at University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Denmark. Author Marie Juul Petersen: Marie Juul Petersen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Danish Institue for International Studies, Denmark Author Sara Lei Sparre: Sara Lei Sparre is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.