| Summary: | The movement of nation building in Islamic societies away from the secular or Pan-Arab models of the early twentieth century toward a variety of 'nationalisms' was accompanied by growing antagonism between the Muslim majority and ethnic or religious minorities. The papers in "Nationalism and Minority Identities in Islamic Societies" offer a comparative analysis of how these minorities developed their own distinctive identities within the modern Islamic nation-state. The essays focus on identity formation in five minority groups - Copts in Egypt, Baha'is and Christians in Pakistan, Berbers in Algeria and Morocco, and Kurds in Turkey and Iraq. While every minority community is distinctive, the experiences of each show that a state's authoritarian rule, uncompromising attitude towards expressions of particularism, and failure to offer tools for inclusion are all responsible for the politicization and radicalization of minority identities. The place of Islam in this process is complex: while its initial pluralistic role was transformed through the creation of the modern nation-state, the radicalization of society in turn radicalized and politicized minority identities. Minority groups, though at times possessing a measure of political autonomy, remain intensely vulnerable. -- Back cover.
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