The paper explores the construction of both Muslim and Islamist identities and the ways in which they interact, converge and diverge. This exploration is set against the background of debates on the nature of Islamism and its positioning vis‐à‐vis modernity and post‐modernity. The paper argues that processes of modernity and post‐modernity may be at work in the production of Muslim identities, but highlights the need to examine how different dimensions of identity formation such as socio‐economic position, gender, age and lifestyle enter into the formation of Muslim selves. This is made necessary if we accept the premise of the sociality and historicity of religion.
This paper is a revisiting of the question of contemporary Islamism in Egypt.Its purpose is to rethink the main arguments and explanatory frameworks relating to Islamist activism in general and the militant and violent type in particular. It presents some new propositions about the phenomenon and provides elements for a deeper understanding. This revisiting is undertaken in light of certain developments over the last decade or so, which may be summarised as follows: 1) the heightening of Islamist violence, marked by confrontations with the government in and around Cairo and in the provinces of Upper Egypt 1 ; 2) the emergence of clear socio-spatial dimensions to Islamist activism. For the purposes of this article, my analysis pertains to these developments in the greater Cairo area. 2 The paper is guided by several interrelated aims, some of which are given only preliminary attention here. First, it points to the links between Islamist 363 0010-4175/00/2582-0458 $9.50
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