Bulletin Philosophy and Society 2024-3

Philosophy and Society 35/3

 

The third issue of the journal Philosophy and Society for 2024 (Philosophy and Society 35/3) features a thematic section titled Contemporary Islamic Political and Social Thought Before and After the Arab Spring: Mapping the Field. In addition, this issue includes original scientific articles exploring topics such as the justice of war and its specific normative challenges, non-territorial autonomy (NTA) as a state response to minority demands, and types of value-normative dissonance. Furthermore, the issue contains a book review of Zlatko Hadžidedić's Nations and Capital: The Missing Link in Global Expansion, written by Jovica Pavlović.

 

 

CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC POLITICAL AND SOCIAL THOUGHT BEFORE AND AFTER THE

ARAB SPRING: MAPPING THE FIELD

 

Emin Poljarević’s “Islam as a Method” examines Islam as an approach that connects an academic framework, the process of engagement, and activist strategies. Islam is treated as an ontological category grounded in ethical principles such as justice, dignity, and excellence. This approach enables Muslim intellectuals to achieve autonomy from Euro-American frameworks while emphasizing the diversity within Islamic traditions. Through a critique of secular and (neo)liberal perspectives, “Islam as a Method” calls for the development of intercultural dialogue and the creation of ethical knowledge aligned with Islamic values and historical experiences.

 

In his paper, “Islamic Philosophy and Modern Social Science: The Need to Re-examine the Methods of Forming Social Theories in the Sphere of Religious Culture“, Seid Halilović explores the relationship between Islamic philosophy and modern social sciences. He argues that social theories, marginalized in Islamic culture due to Western dominance, have gradually influenced society. The author highlights the need to reassess contemporary social theories to align them with Islamic needs and to overcome identity crises during societal transformation.

 

The article “Revisiting Post-Islamism a Decade After the Arab Spring” analyzes the impact of the Arab Spring on post-Islamism through case studies of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Tunisia’s Ennahda Movement. The author, Mohammed Affan, hypothesizes that the Arab Spring had a varied impact on Islamists—while post-Islamist changes in Egypt were weakened by the 2013 military coup, Tunisia confirmed a transition to post-Islamism. The Tunisian party abandoned political Islam by adopting the concept of Muslim democracy, whereas Egyptian Islamists became politically marginalized. The paper examines these changes within the context of political exclusion and ideological shifts.

 

Imad Alsoos and Julius Dihstelhof in their article “Ennahda’s Muslim Democracy in Post-Arab Spring Tunisia: Synthesizing Political Thought and Practice” analyze the political evolution of the Tunisian Ennahda Party from its founding to the post-2011 period, including the changes following the 2021 coup. The focus is on the development of the party’s ideology, which transitioned from daʿwa-based belief system to Islamic democracy, and later to “Muslim democracy” after the uprising. The paper examines key factors such as Islam, the socio-political context, and universal epistemes. It also explores the challenges Ennahda faces due to authoritarian shifts after the coup and its efforts toward organizational reform.

 

The article “Religion and Politics in Morocco: Islamic, Islamist, and Post-Islamist Dynamics” investigates the relationship between religion and politics in modern Morocco across three key periods: pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial. Mohammed Hashas maps the main characteristics of these periods: in the pre-colonial period, Islam served as the primary identity factor; during colonial rule, the administration sought to weaken Islamic identity; and in the post-colonial period, various political currents emerged, including orthodox, critical, and ultra-orthodox Islam. The article argues that this diversity of interpretations allows Islam to remain fluid, functioning as a lived spirituality within contemporary society.

 

Dustin Byrd, in his paper “From ‘We Want to Destroy the Regime’ to ‘We Want to Destroy the

World Order’: Russian Multipolarity and the Enlistment of the Post-Arab Spring Dār Al-islām,” analyzes how the optimism for democracy in the Middle East brought by the Arab Spring gradually gave way to cynicism and frustration. The focus is on Vladimir Putin’s reaction, as he launched an anti-Western campaign to create a “multipolar world” following the collapse of “dictators” during the Spring. However, the paper argues that the ideology inspiring Putin, as articulated by Dugin, is unlikely to succeed in achieving a multipolar world. Political, social, and religious factors in Dar al-Islam are too specific to support such a transformation.

 

Ivan Ejub Kostić, in his article “A Political Empowerment: The Role of Party Politics in the Future of European Muslim”, explores the political empowerment of Muslims in Europe, focusing on the barriers hindering their active participation in party politics. The author argues that an internalized secular worldview, along with certain ulama promoting socio-political passivity, has contributed to reduced political engagement. The paper advocates for the establishment of political entities rooted in Islamic values, enabling Muslims to form strategic alliances, challenge the status quo, and advance the interests of their communities and broader society.

 

The paper “The Transformation of the Discourse on Secularism/the Civil State in Arab Academic

Writings Post Arab Spring” analyzes shifts in the discourse on secularism and the civil state within Arab academic contexts following the Arab Spring. The author, Sari Hanafi, uses quantitative and qualitative analysis of 149 articles to examine how themes of secularism and political Islam have evolved in academic journals and how these topics have been influenced by leftist, secular, and Islamic trends.

 

Syed Mustafa Ali, in his article “AI and/as Racialised Political Theology” examines artificial intelligence (AI) through the lens of political theology, drawing on critical race theory and decolonial thought. The author defines key concepts such as artificial intelligence, political theology, apocalypticism, and world-building, and then analyzes their interrelations. The paper concludes by proposing an oppositional approach to AI, understanding it as a manifestation of racial political theology, explored in the context of decolonial and critical theories.

 

 

STUDIES & ARTICLES

 

Asger Sørensen’s article “Ukraine, Ideology, and Arms: Coming to Terms with Just War Theory” explores how the Russian invasion of Ukraine challenges ideals of peace central to many left-wing intellectuals. Referencing Kant’s idea of perpetual peace, the author raises the question of how to justify a military counteroffensive that crosses the line between defense and aggression. The need to rethink the theory of just war is emphasized, accepting the possibility of justifying certain military activities and weapons, but with clear normative boundaries and challenges involved.

 

Stipe Buzar analyzes when non-territorial autonomy (NTA) is a morally appropriate response of states to the demands of minorities, considering possible alternatives. The focus of the paper “From Secession to Subordination: An Ethical Framework for Non-Territorial Autonomy” is on the relationship between minorities and the state, rather than between majority and minority. The key questions discussed in the paper are: (1) what are the criteria for moral appropriateness, and (2) when is an alternative justified?

 

Finally, the article written by Mladen Lazić and Jelena Pešić “Values, Norms, and Social Dynamics” offers a new approach to the theoretical analysis of values and norms, emphasizing their dynamic and potentially asymmetric relationship. Values are considered a factor that can cause dissonance within the existing social order, hindering its reproduction. The concept of normative-value dissonance is introduced, encompassing two types: systemic, arising from the misalignment of values and norms due to changes in social relations as a whole, and intra-systemic, which arises from changes within the dominant order without altering its foundations.