Eren Tatari

In recent decades, political Islam has increasingly become a focus of political science. Numerous branches of scholarship that analyze its dynamics within seemingly divergent theoretical frameworks have emerged. Some scholars have concentrated on international security threats stemming from political Islam (what can be called the outcomes of this phenomenon), whereas others have focused on the causes of religious resurgence in an attempt to identify what has led to political Islam’s revival. This review essay will evaluate the second branch of scholarship, which, I believe, explores the core of the overarching issue and helps identify the causes, the “how” and “why” of the matter, rather then providing a descriptive analysis of “what” is happening.

Thus, the emergence of strong Islamic movements in Turkey, how the interplay between the state and these groups have unfolded, and the future prospects have broader implications for social movements, civil society, and democratization in numerous countries. Moreover, the academic work on Islamic movements is highly dynamic, since current social and political events continuously shape these movements, which affect the country’s sociopolitical context.

The main purpose of this literature review is to identify and discuss its thematic core as it relates to ISPMs. Scholars converge on a thematic core that emphasizes the role of ISPMs as informal structures in identity formation and the assertion of these identities in social and political forums. I will also address the strengths and weaknesses of the literature, analyze the aptness of the methodologies employed, and suggest improvement in those areas that need further study.

What Is an ISPM?

Several comprehensive definitions have been drawn from the literature for social movements in general.2 However, Hakan Yavuz’s definition that “Islamic movements seek to reconstitute identities, institutional structures, ways of life, and the moral code of society through participating, influencing, or controlling cultural, educational and economic spheres”3 is the most functional, as it is specifically tailored for ISPMs. Implicit in this definition is the political aspect of those Islamic movements that might seek to reconstruct the state’s official and unofficial “institutional structures.” A few examples of the most influential and studied movements in Turkey would be the Naksibendi Sufi order, which has long historical roots in Turkey, and the Nurcu movement, which has a more intellectual edge and emphasizes the use of all possible modern means for Muslims to achieve their full potential in education and business.

Studies of Islamic movements, therefore, have concentrated on these movements’ social and political aspects in an attempt to distinguish groups having political agendas from groups having only a spiritual nature. Scholars agree that these two types of Islamic movements have to be placed in separate categories. However, such scholars as Ayse Saktanber and Heinz Kramer fail to make this crucial separation and therefore lump all Islamic movements under one umbrella. This approach misrepresents reality and thus engenders false conclusions. Richard Tapper’s Islam in Modern Turkey emphasizes Islam’s dual function in Turkey as “the private one of giving intellectual and emotional meaning to life, an ethics, an eschatology and the promise of salvation; and the public function of providing a political ideology, a cultural and communal identity and social solidarity.”4

Most scholars focus on Islam’s role in the political process, asking if Islamic revivalism constitutes a political threat to the Republic and may lead to an Islamic revolution. They are voicing the Turkish elites’ concerns, which are similar to the West’s centuries-old fear of Islam. On the other hand, recent works reflect the emerging realization that social dynamics constitute the underlying cause of political objectives. Therefore, the literature is becoming more and more balanced by means of analyzing both private and public roles, which is an idiosyncratic feature of Islam and ISPMs.