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Religion General

Nationalism and Minority Identities in Islamic Societies

by (author) Maya Shatzmiller

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2005
Category
General, Minority Studies
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773572546
    Publish Date
    Apr 2005
    List Price
    $34.95

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Description

The essays focus on identity formation in five minority groups - Copts in Egypt, Baha'is and Christians in Pakistan, Berbers in Algeria and Morocco, and Kurds in Turkey and Iraq. While every minority community is distinctive, the experiences of these groups show that a state's authoritarian rule, uncompromising attitude towards expressions of particularism, and failure to offer tools for inclusion are all responsible for the politicization and radicalization of minority identities. The place of Islam in this process is complex: while its initial pluralistic role was transformed through the creation of the modern nation-state, the radicalization of society in turn radicalized and politicized minority identities. Minority groups, though at times possessing a measure of political autonomy, remain intensely vulnerable.

About the author

Maya Shatzmiller is professor of history at the University of Western Ontario. She is the editor of Islam and Bosnia: Conflict Resolution and Foreign Policy in Multi-Ethnic States.

Maya Shatzmiller's profile page