Concluding the Ali Vural Ak Center's events of the Spring 2012 term, leading expert Carrie Wickham from Emory University visited Mason on May 1 to preview her latest book discussing the evolution of Islamist political movements in several Arab countries and their growing influence in the wake of uprisings that rattled the region.
Having researched these movements for over twenty years, Wickham has established herself as one of the premier analysts in her field. She recently completed her newest book, titled “Islamist Movement Change in the Arab World: Egypt in Comparative Perspective”, which is due to be printed next year.
Wickham opened her talk by highlighting the central role Islamist political parties and movements now play in the context of the Arab Spring. Arguing that pre-conceived notions and descriptions of these movements as “undemocratic” or “extremist” are problematic, she stressed the need for a more nuanced analysis and a closer examination of such political forces to understand them better in this critical period of Arab history.
“The Muslim Brotherhood and other mainstream Islamist groups cannot be accurately described as ‘for’ or ‘against’ democracy any more than they can be characterized as ‘moderate’ or ‘extremist’,” Wickham stated. “First, such groups are not monolithic entities whose members think and act in lockstep. On the contrary, they are large umbrella organizations that encompass different factions with a wide range of views on what Islamic rule would entail in practice.”
She then proceeded to outline the internal dynamics that shape these movements and identified a number of trends that developed among them before, during, and after the Arab Spring by highlighting key comparisons between groups in Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Egypt.
To watch Carrie Wickham's full lecture, follow the link on the right.
May 07, 2012
