Islamism, party change, and strategic conciliation: Evidence from Tunisia

McCarthy, Rory

Abstract

What happens to an Islamist party after moderating its behaviour and ideology? Existing work on Islamist parties has elaborated the varied causes of moderation. Yet, the mixed findings do not capture the full range of Islamist dynamics. This article draws on a multiyear, interview-based study of the Tunisian Islamist party Ennahda to interrogate the process of intraparty change after moderation. Islamist parties face a two-level problem with external and internal trade-offs. I argue that the intraparty characteristics that enable moderation may also contribute to undermining a party’s institutional structure and identity as it responds to an uncertain political context. These findings bring processual evidence from Islamist parties into broader explanations of party change and highlight the ongoing effects of moderation, not just its causes.

Citation

McCarthy, R. (2024). Islamism, party change, and strategic conciliation: Evidence from Tunisia. Party Politics, 30(6), 1064-1074. https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688231192393

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 15, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 24, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-11
• Deposit Date: Aug 2, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 2, 2023
• Journal: Party Politics
• Print ISSN: 1354-0688
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-3683
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1064-1074
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688231192393
• Keywords: Sociology and Political Science
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1710104