Transnational Muslim Politics: Reimagining the Umma

by Pete Mandaville

This book analyzes Islam as a form of 'travelling theory' in the context of contemporary global transformations such as diasporic communities, transnational social movements, global cities and information technologies. Peter Mandaville examines how 'globalization' is manifested as lived experience through a discussion of debates over the meaning of Muslim identity, political community and the emergence of a 'critical Islam'.
This radical book argues that translocal forces are leading the emergence of a wider Muslim public sphere. Now available in paperback, it contains a new preface setting the debates in the context of September 11th.

Genres: Islam

252 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2001

Reviews

[Tehreem Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transnational Muslim Politics
Transnational Muslim Politics: Reimaging the Umma
Peter Mandaville.
London,USA,Canada:Routlege,2001,235 pages, endnotes, glossary, index, bibliography.
ISBN:0-415-24894-6

Transnational Muslim Politics is a part of Routledge book series on “Transnationalism” which gives the research based critic and information about the field and theoretical work about the contemporary world. This book is written by Peter Mandaville who is Assistant Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. His previous publications include two co-edited books, The Zen of International Relations and Meaning and International Relations. In the series of Routledge about transnationalism .Mandaville has provided the alternative way to study Islam and Muslim by its political struggle not through the militant source .At the beginning he argued that International Relations should come from its such as hybridiy, diaspora and globalization with other social sciences disciplines such as anthropology to better study the ever changing impact of these transformation on the state .
In the following chapter he has elaborated the literal meaning of Islam and Muslim .He argued the Muslim culture regarding their region and the Muslims before ,during and after the colonization of the west .He compared the history of Islam with its periods such as from the prophetic period to the post colonial reformers. In this contemporary piece of writing Mandeville wrote about the transformation within the Muslim community in the post 9/11 world and its impact on the international politics and borders. In the third and fourth chapters he has written about the transformation of Islam when it move to new context and migrate to the new area such as west which he has described by the Edward Said’s “travelling theory” that the conceptions and theories changes with time and space and discussed about the modes such as media , advanced technology and its impact on the Muslim’s political identity all over the world. Then he gave case study about the Muslim diaspora in the Europe and different interpretation or a set of conception about Islam in the occidental world with the passage of time like Islamophobia now a days Mandeville has mainly argue three main themes that are “debates within the Muslim community”, “rethinking Islam” and “transnationalism”.In the first theme he has illustrated the negotiations and discussion forums within the Muslim world, in the second theme he has highlighted the main discourses of the politics, political identity and globalization which has impact on the Muslim and international communities and in the third theme he has elaborated the different translocal Muslim world.
In the last two chapters he has argued the importance of media and technology regarding a new Muslim identity ,a new interpretation and dynamic views of Islam to Muslims and specifically to the Muslim youth who have participated in the various interpretations of Islam under the translocality and globalization .He has discussed about the conceptualizing Islam in Muslim Umma with a question that whether Muslim world literally putting efforts to reimagine the Umma.
It is a worth reading book for the new conceptions of the Muslim community and it gives a contrast of the Muslim world pre and post 9/11 and its image to the whole world. What media and international bodies says and what is actually going on in the Muslim world the rise of the Arab spring which impact is still present in the middle east which is the lived experience of the contemporary Muslim community for democracy and a debate for secular state I would say. What I really liked about this book is that he neglected the militants and terrorist organization in the whole argument focusing only on the Muslim state and Muslim community with history and with the transformative modes that will have future impacts as well. Mandaville has argued the terms and ways by which Muslims have step forward to change the course but is looking forward for their direction and the way how the operate to reshape the Umma.
It is a real piece of study about the contemporary politics and the changing world. It is an essential and important contribution which covers from theoretical approach to the understanding of the contemporary Muslims and their identity. It gives the rich analysis and a new lens to study the Muslim diaspora.It aims to address the needs of teachers and students and its title is intended to address Muslim and international community to view the whole discourse in a different manner.