When Islamists Lose: The Politicization of Tunisia's Ennahda Movement

McCarthy, Rory

Abstract

This article is a case study of how Tunisia's Islamist party, the Ennahda Movement, responded to new political opportunities that opened up after the 2011 Arab uprisings. It argues that Ennahda chose to make a hard-to-reverse commitment to politicization in the pursuit of electoral legitimacy, as protection from repression, and for fear of marginalization. The article demonstrates how the context of a democratic transition exposed internal debates within the movement over ideology, strategy, and organizational structure, ultimately dislocating the relationship between political ambitions and the religious social movement.

Citation

McCarthy, R. (2018). When Islamists Lose: The Politicization of Tunisia's Ennahda Movement. The Middle East journal, 72(3), 365-384. https://doi.org/10.3751/72.3.11

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 5, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Aug 28, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Deposit Date: Sep 2, 2019
• Journal: Middle East Journal
• Print ISSN: 0026-3141
• Electronic ISSN: 1940-3461
• Publisher: Middle East Institute
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 365-384
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3751/72.3.11
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1294295
• Related Public URLs: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ce2ff7bb-6246-4ad2-a261-df97d001c3a6