Territory Is Not Map: Deterritorialisation, Mere Religion, and Islamic State
While the Islamic State (IS) has much in common with many other contemporary jihadist groups, this article argues that it expresses a distinctive attitude toward the taking, holding, and expanding of territory. Olivier Roy’s notion of the "deterritorialisation" of late-modern Muslim religi...
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Philosophy Documentation Center
2017
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In: |
Journal of religion and violence
Year: 2017, Volume: 5, Issue: 2, Pages: 151-184 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | While the Islamic State (IS) has much in common with many other contemporary jihadist groups, this article argues that it expresses a distinctive attitude toward the taking, holding, and expanding of territory. Olivier Roy’s notion of the "deterritorialisation" of late-modern Muslim religiosity suggests that many Muslims, whether in minority or majority situations, perceive themselves as detached from "home" lands and cultures and, partly as a result, find Islam reduced from a holistic phenomenon to a truncated and compartmentalized "mere religion." IS efforts to take territory can be seen in part as a rejection of such deterritorialisation. The IS version of a reinvigorated Islam is made possible solely by the possession of territory, and hinges on apocalyptic expectations about certain concrete locations and on the possibility of enacting a robust, hyper-aggressive form of Islamic law. |
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ISSN: | 2159-6808 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and violence
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5840/jrv20178341 |