Islam and the Politics of Resistance in Algeria, 1783-1992

This multi-disciplinary work helps explain why Algeria, at the turn of the millennium remains the focus of profound struggle concerning the role of religion in politics. For more than two hundred years, Islam has motivated a great variety of political movements within Algeria. Different kinds of political leaders, with widely disparate agendas, have invoked Islam in one form or another with Algeria to obtain mass support for their policies. This study, which begins in 1783 and ends in 1992, recounts how these political actors all utilized and shaped Islam in the contested terrains of politics, culture and religion. This book clearly documents the centrality of Islam to Algeria's politics. Despite the centrality of Islam, however, politicized Islam within Algeria has always remained ideologically diverse. This book chronicles this diversity while exploring the reasons for Islam's continued appeal in the politics. While primarily a study of political culture, it examines related issues, including the relationship between religion and government, the creation of political legitimacy, and political economy.