The First Islamist Republic: Development and Disintegration of Islamism in the Sudan

The Islamist experiment in Sudan has entered a decisive new phase with the end of its 22 year civil war with southern non-Muslims; the global reach of the Darfur crisis and the government's need for pragmatism to facilitate its oil production with its Chinese ally. Analysis of Sudan's withdrawal of Islamism is ably crafted by Gallab, a Sudanese scholar and former journalist who writes as though working with a surgeon's scalpel. A must read! Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Rhode Island College, USA By adding a new dimension to the ongoing scholarly and political debate about Islamism or political Islam within the context of modern politics in Africa, the Middle East and the Muslim world, this study details the development and disintegration of the Islamists' Republic in the Sudan. The Islamists' regime in the Sudan has propagated a distinctive ideology whose declared aim was to create a primary model of an Islamist state. Based on extensive field work inside and outside the regime, this book is the story of the social world of Islamism. It provides an entry point into its local and global worlds as they interact and collide with each other. By placing considerable emphasis on the theoretical development and growth of Islamism, this book addresses the profound transformations in the field of political Islam. Political scientists, sociologists interested in religion and Middle Eastern and African scholars should read this book. Contents: Preface; Introduction; Reflections on Islamism in the Sudan; Elementary forms of the Islamist movement; Competing visions in the aftermath of the October Revolution; From the corporation to the coup; The 1st republic, its sheikh, and community; A call to jihad; End of the 1st republic; The road to Darfur: Islamism without al-Turabi, authoritarianism without Nimairi; Conclusion; Appendix; Index. About the Author: Abdullahi A. Gallab is Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, USA.