Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality and Modernity (Crises in World Politics) [Hardcover]

'No political theorist, anthropologist or studentof Islam will fail to be provoked and inspired by this brilliant analysis of jihadi discourse. [...] Devji moves effortlessly between theology, history and cultural studies to give us the first major English-language interpretation of the moral world of contemporary jihad.' --Professor Arjun Appadurai, New School University'Devji's very original book analyses Al Qaeda and jihad in metaphysical terms, discarding geo-strategic and cultural factors, [hence] the West is also presented as a metaphysical entity.Globalization is thus not linked to strategy,territory or culture. The concept of landscapesummarises his approach: action creates its own landscape and is not the expression of an pre-existing cultural, territorial or strategicdivide. Hence there emerge different 'landscapes':of jihad, of mysticism, of media andof film, all of which combine with each other. [...] Devji's original analysis of the writings of Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri is very illuminating and substantiates hisiconoclastic approach.'-- Professor Olivier Roy, author, Globalised Islam: The Search for a New Ummah

'Devji's very original book analyses Al Qaeda and jihad in metaphysical terms, discarding geostrategic and cultural factors'

'a brilliant long essay on the ethical underpinnings of modern jihad'

'Devji's brilliant if deliciously provocative essay suggests that violence may not be the most radical part of Al Qaeda'

'A brilliant discussion of bin Laden's usurpation of the role of the madrasa-based ulema.'

'Thought-provoking and elegantly written.'

'An oasis in the wearisome desert of al-Qaeda studies. It is, in the best possible sense, subversive.'

"One of the most intelligent analyses of the world-view of the militant Islamist."

The militant Islam represented by Al Qaeda is often described as a global movement. Apart from the geographical range of its operations and support, little else is held to define it as 'global'. Its militants' international mobility and their technological sophistication are portrayed as the only signs of the jihadis' globalisation. Landscapes of the Jihad explores the features that Al Qaeda and other strands of militant Islam share in common with global movements such as environmentalists and anti-globalisation protesters. These include a decentralised organisation and an emphasis on ethical rather than properly political action. Devji brings these and other characteristics of Al Qaeda together in an analysis of the jihad that locates it squarely within the transformation of political thought after the Cold War. The jihad emerges from the breakdown of traditional as well as modern forms of authority in the Muslim world. It is neither dogmatic in an old-fashioned way nor ideological in the modern sense, and concerned neither with correct doctrinal practice in the present nor with some revolutionary utopia of the future. Instead it is fragmented, dispersed and highly individualistic.

The militant Islam represented by Al Qaeda is often described as a global movement. Apart from the geographical range of its operations and support, little else is held to define it as 'global'. Its militants' international mobility and their technological sophistication are portrayed as the only signs of the jihadís' globalisation. Landscapes of the Jihad explores the features that Al Qaeda and other strands of militant Islam share in common with global movements such as environmentalists and anti-globalisation protesters. These include a decentralised organisation and an emphasis on ethical rather than properly political action. Devji brings these and other characteristics of Al Qaeda together
in an analysis of the jihad that locates it squarely within the transformation of political thought after the Cold War.
The jihad emerges from the breakdown of traditional as well as modern forms of authority in the Muslim world. It is neither dogmatic in an old-fashioned way nor ideological in the modern sense, and concerned neither with correct doctrinal practice in the present nor with some revolutionary utopia of the future. Instead it is fragmented, dispersed and highly individualistic.

'No political theorist, anthropologist or studentof Islam will fail to be provoked and inspired by this brilliant analysis of jihadi discourse. [...] Devji moves effortlessly between theology, history and cultural studies to give us the first major English-language interpretation of the moral world of contemporary jihad.' --Professor Arjun Appadurai, New School University'

Devji's very original book analyses Al Qaeda and jihad in metaphysical terms, discarding geo-strategic and cultural factors, [hence] the West is also presented as a metaphysical entity. Globalization is thus not linked to strategy, territory or culture. The concept of landscapesummarises his approach: action creates its own landscape and is not the expression of an pre-existing cultural, territorial or strategicdivide. Hence there emerge different 'landscapes': of jihad, of mysticism, of media andof film, all of which combine with each other. [...] Devji's original analysis of the writings of Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri is very illuminating and substantiates his iconoclastic approach.'-- Professor Olivier Roy, author, Globalised Islam: The Search for a New Ummah

FAISAL DEVJI is Assistant Professor of History at the New School University, New York.