Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice

This article explores the interplay between political thought and practice within Tunisia’s Ennahda party, first during its period in opposition, then after it took power in 2011, and finally in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. We trace the genealogy of political thought within the party from the poi...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova) 2024, Vol.35 (3), p.515-536
Hauptverfasser: Alsoos, Imad, Dihstelhoff, Julius
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
container_end_page 536
container_issue 3
container_start_page 515
container_title Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova)
container_volume 35
creator Alsoos, Imad
Dihstelhoff, Julius
description This article explores the interplay between political thought and practice within Tunisia’s Ennahda party, first during its period in opposition, then after it took power in 2011, and finally in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. We trace the genealogy of political thought within the party from the point of its foundation. In doing so, we explore the gradual evolution of party ideology, from a daʿwa-based belief system between 1969 and 1981, to Islamic democracy between 1981 and 2011, to ‘Muslim democracy’ after the 2011 uprising. We examine this ideological evolution through the framework of three key elements: (i) Islam, (ii) Tunisia’s changing socio-political context, and (iii) the broader universal episteme. As we show, a significant turning point came in 2016, with the separation of the daʿwa from party politics, which revealed a burgeoning state / party conceptualization of politics. However, the 2021 coup challenged Ennahda’s concept of Muslim democracy, as well as all aspects of the party’s own sense of continuity as a significant socio-political actor, such as its institutional structure, leadership, membership, social base, political strategy, and ideology. Ennahda is now confronted by an authoritarian resurgence, which aims at containing the party, and at delegitimizing its participation within nation-state structures. Empirical evidence, based on content-analytical evaluations of personal interviews as well as the media’s coverage of Ennahda, shows that the party’s representatives are increasingly focusing on organizational reform in order to deal with the ramifications of the 2021 coup. Their aim seems to be to democratize both Ennahda and the Tunisian state itself.
doi_str_mv 10.2298/FID2403515A
format Article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>ceeol_cross</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_2298_FID2403515A</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><ceeol_id>1269798</ceeol_id><doaj_id>oai_doaj_org_article_a4c491d2f5b44b17afdab0b77dfa9c59</doaj_id><sourcerecordid>1269798</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c246t-4651de888c5f097a606d7acad25e86c2b8701a2323762b538f62b3b590718c073</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNpNkM1qGzEUhUVoIK6TVdYB7cu0-h1pujNO3BpSYoizFnckjS0zHhVpvHBWeY28Xp8kSmNKVwc-Dh_nXoSuKfnKWKO_LZa3TBAuqZydoQnjXFRaKvUJTQrklVRcX6DPOe8IEaTWYoL83TDA1sGfl9eMfx1yH_b41u-jTWCPOAx4FfNYzRK0-PF3CsMGrw9DyAG-48fjMG59Ds_vdBX7MAYLPV5v42GzHTEMDq-KpVB_ic476LO_OuUUPS3u1vOf1f3Dj-V8dl9ZJuqxErWkzmutrexIo6AmtVNgwTHpdW1ZqxWhwDjjqmat5LorwVvZEEW1JYpP0fLD6yLsTNm7h3Q0EYL5C2LaGEhlUO8NCCsa6lgnWyFaqqBz0JJWKddBY2VTXF8-XDbFnJPv_vkoMe_fNv99u7RvTm3vY2928ZCGcqmhrG5Uo_kb3MB8qw</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Website</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype></control><display><type>article</type><title>Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice</title><source>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</source><source>EZB-FREE-00999 freely available EZB journals</source><creator>Alsoos, Imad ; Dihstelhoff, Julius</creator><creatorcontrib>Alsoos, Imad ; Dihstelhoff, Julius</creatorcontrib><description>This article explores the interplay between political thought and practice within Tunisia’s Ennahda party, first during its period in opposition, then after it took power in 2011, and finally in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. We trace the genealogy of political thought within the party from the point of its foundation. In doing so, we explore the gradual evolution of party ideology, from a daʿwa-based belief system between 1969 and 1981, to Islamic democracy between 1981 and 2011, to ‘Muslim democracy’ after the 2011 uprising. We examine this ideological evolution through the framework of three key elements: (i) Islam, (ii) Tunisia’s changing socio-political context, and (iii) the broader universal episteme. As we show, a significant turning point came in 2016, with the separation of the daʿwa from party politics, which revealed a burgeoning state / party conceptualization of politics. However, the 2021 coup challenged Ennahda’s concept of Muslim democracy, as well as all aspects of the party’s own sense of continuity as a significant socio-political actor, such as its institutional structure, leadership, membership, social base, political strategy, and ideology. Ennahda is now confronted by an authoritarian resurgence, which aims at containing the party, and at delegitimizing its participation within nation-state structures. Empirical evidence, based on content-analytical evaluations of personal interviews as well as the media’s coverage of Ennahda, shows that the party’s representatives are increasingly focusing on organizational reform in order to deal with the ramifications of the 2021 coup. Their aim seems to be to democratize both Ennahda and the Tunisian state itself.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0353-5738</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 2334-8577</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.2298/FID2403515A</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory</publisher><subject>ennahda ; functional specialization ; Islam studies ; muslim democracy ; organizational reformation ; political islam ; Political Theory ; Politics / Political Sciences ; Politics and religion ; re-authoritarianism ; Sociology of Religion ; Theology and Religion</subject><ispartof>Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova), 2024, Vol.35 (3), p.515-536</ispartof><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c246t-4651de888c5f097a606d7acad25e86c2b8701a2323762b538f62b3b590718c073</cites><orcidid>0000-0002-9287-1457</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Uhttps://www.ceeol.com//api/image/getissuecoverimage?id=picture_2024_84317.jpg</thumbnail><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,864,2102,4024,27923,27924,27925</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Alsoos, Imad</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Dihstelhoff, Julius</creatorcontrib><title>Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice</title><title>Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova)</title><addtitle>Philosophy and Society</addtitle><description>This article explores the interplay between political thought and practice within Tunisia’s Ennahda party, first during its period in opposition, then after it took power in 2011, and finally in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. We trace the genealogy of political thought within the party from the point of its foundation. In doing so, we explore the gradual evolution of party ideology, from a daʿwa-based belief system between 1969 and 1981, to Islamic democracy between 1981 and 2011, to ‘Muslim democracy’ after the 2011 uprising. We examine this ideological evolution through the framework of three key elements: (i) Islam, (ii) Tunisia’s changing socio-political context, and (iii) the broader universal episteme. As we show, a significant turning point came in 2016, with the separation of the daʿwa from party politics, which revealed a burgeoning state / party conceptualization of politics. However, the 2021 coup challenged Ennahda’s concept of Muslim democracy, as well as all aspects of the party’s own sense of continuity as a significant socio-political actor, such as its institutional structure, leadership, membership, social base, political strategy, and ideology. Ennahda is now confronted by an authoritarian resurgence, which aims at containing the party, and at delegitimizing its participation within nation-state structures. Empirical evidence, based on content-analytical evaluations of personal interviews as well as the media’s coverage of Ennahda, shows that the party’s representatives are increasingly focusing on organizational reform in order to deal with the ramifications of the 2021 coup. Their aim seems to be to democratize both Ennahda and the Tunisian state itself.</description><subject>ennahda</subject><subject>functional specialization</subject><subject>Islam studies</subject><subject>muslim democracy</subject><subject>organizational reformation</subject><subject>political islam</subject><subject>Political Theory</subject><subject>Politics / Political Sciences</subject><subject>Politics and religion</subject><subject>re-authoritarianism</subject><subject>Sociology of Religion</subject><subject>Theology and Religion</subject><issn>0353-5738</issn><issn>2334-8577</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2024</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>REL</sourceid><sourceid>DOA</sourceid><recordid>eNpNkM1qGzEUhUVoIK6TVdYB7cu0-h1pujNO3BpSYoizFnckjS0zHhVpvHBWeY28Xp8kSmNKVwc-Dh_nXoSuKfnKWKO_LZa3TBAuqZydoQnjXFRaKvUJTQrklVRcX6DPOe8IEaTWYoL83TDA1sGfl9eMfx1yH_b41u-jTWCPOAx4FfNYzRK0-PF3CsMGrw9DyAG-48fjMG59Ds_vdBX7MAYLPV5v42GzHTEMDq-KpVB_ic476LO_OuUUPS3u1vOf1f3Dj-V8dl9ZJuqxErWkzmutrexIo6AmtVNgwTHpdW1ZqxWhwDjjqmat5LorwVvZEEW1JYpP0fLD6yLsTNm7h3Q0EYL5C2LaGEhlUO8NCCsa6lgnWyFaqqBz0JJWKddBY2VTXF8-XDbFnJPv_vkoMe_fNv99u7RvTm3vY2928ZCGcqmhrG5Uo_kb3MB8qw</recordid><startdate>2024</startdate><enddate>2024</enddate><creator>Alsoos, Imad</creator><creator>Dihstelhoff, Julius</creator><general>Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory</general><general>Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju</general><general>Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade</general><scope>AE2</scope><scope>BIXPP</scope><scope>REL</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>DOA</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9287-1457</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>2024</creationdate><title>Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice</title><author>Alsoos, Imad ; Dihstelhoff, Julius</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c246t-4651de888c5f097a606d7acad25e86c2b8701a2323762b538f62b3b590718c073</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2024</creationdate><topic>ennahda</topic><topic>functional specialization</topic><topic>Islam studies</topic><topic>muslim democracy</topic><topic>organizational reformation</topic><topic>political islam</topic><topic>Political Theory</topic><topic>Politics / Political Sciences</topic><topic>Politics and religion</topic><topic>re-authoritarianism</topic><topic>Sociology of Religion</topic><topic>Theology and Religion</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Alsoos, Imad</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Dihstelhoff, Julius</creatorcontrib><collection>Central and Eastern European Online Library (C.E.E.O.L.) (DFG Nationallizenzen)</collection><collection>CEEOL: Open Access</collection><collection>Central and Eastern European Online Library - CEEOL Journals</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals</collection><jtitle>Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova)</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Alsoos, Imad</au><au>Dihstelhoff, Julius</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice</atitle><jtitle>Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova)</jtitle><addtitle>Philosophy and Society</addtitle><date>2024</date><risdate>2024</risdate><volume>35</volume><issue>3</issue><spage>515</spage><epage>536</epage><pages>515-536</pages><issn>0353-5738</issn><eissn>2334-8577</eissn><abstract>This article explores the interplay between political thought and practice within Tunisia’s Ennahda party, first during its period in opposition, then after it took power in 2011, and finally in the aftermath of the 2021 coup. We trace the genealogy of political thought within the party from the point of its foundation. In doing so, we explore the gradual evolution of party ideology, from a daʿwa-based belief system between 1969 and 1981, to Islamic democracy between 1981 and 2011, to ‘Muslim democracy’ after the 2011 uprising. We examine this ideological evolution through the framework of three key elements: (i) Islam, (ii) Tunisia’s changing socio-political context, and (iii) the broader universal episteme. As we show, a significant turning point came in 2016, with the separation of the daʿwa from party politics, which revealed a burgeoning state / party conceptualization of politics. However, the 2021 coup challenged Ennahda’s concept of Muslim democracy, as well as all aspects of the party’s own sense of continuity as a significant socio-political actor, such as its institutional structure, leadership, membership, social base, political strategy, and ideology. Ennahda is now confronted by an authoritarian resurgence, which aims at containing the party, and at delegitimizing its participation within nation-state structures. Empirical evidence, based on content-analytical evaluations of personal interviews as well as the media’s coverage of Ennahda, shows that the party’s representatives are increasingly focusing on organizational reform in order to deal with the ramifications of the 2021 coup. Their aim seems to be to democratize both Ennahda and the Tunisian state itself.</abstract><pub>Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory</pub><doi>10.2298/FID2403515A</doi><tpages>22</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9287-1457</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 0353-5738
ispartof Filozofija i društvo (Zbornik radova), 2024, Vol.35 (3), p.515-536
issn 0353-5738
2334-8577
language eng
recordid cdi_crossref_primary_10_2298_FID2403515A
source DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals; EZB-FREE-00999 freely available EZB journals
subjects ennahda
functional specialization
Islam studies
muslim democracy
organizational reformation
political islam
Political Theory
Politics / Political Sciences
Politics and religion
re-authoritarianism
Sociology of Religion
Theology and Religion
title Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice
url https://sfx.bib-bvb.de/sfx_tum?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-12-25T14%3A35%3A10IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-ceeol_cross&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Ennahda%E2%80%99s%20Muslim%20Democracy%20in%20Post-Arab%20Spring%20Tunisia:%20Synthesizing%20Political%20Thought%20and%20Practice&rft.jtitle=Filozofija%20i%20dru%C5%A1tvo%20(Zbornik%20radova)&rft.au=Alsoos,%20Imad&rft.date=2024&rft.volume=35&rft.issue=3&rft.spage=515&rft.epage=536&rft.pages=515-536&rft.issn=0353-5738&rft.eissn=2334-8577&rft_id=info:doi/10.2298/FID2403515A&rft_dat=%3Cceeol_cross%3E1269798%3C/ceeol_cross%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&disable_directlink=true&sfx.directlink=off&sfx.report_link=0&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_ceeol_id=1269798&rft_doaj_id=oai_doaj_org_article_a4c491d2f5b44b17afdab0b77dfa9c59&rfr_iscdi=true