Recalling the Caliphate : Decolonisation and World Order

Examines the interaction between Islam and politics in the post colonial world. This book focuses on how demands for Muslim autonomy are debated in terms such as democracy, cultural relativism, secularism and liberalism.

As late as the last quarter of the twentieth century there were expectations that Islam''s political and cultural influence would dissipate as the advance of westernization brought modernization and secularization in its wake. Not only has Islam failed to follow the trajectory pursued by variants of Christianity, namely confinement to the private sphere and depoliticisation, but it has also forcefully re-asserted itself as mobilizations in its name challenge the global order in a series of geopolitical, cultural and philosophical struggles. The continuing (if not growing) relevance of Islam suggests that global history cannot simply be presented as a scaled up version of that of the West. Quests for Muslim autonomy present themselves in several forms - local and global, extremist and moderate, conservative and revisionist - in the light of which the recycling of conventional narratives about Islam becomes increasingly problematic. Not only are these accounts inadequate for understanding Muslim experiences, but by relying on them many Western governments pursue policies that are counter-productive and ultimately hazardous for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. "Recalling the Caliphate" engages critically with the interaction between Islam and the political in context of a post colonial world that continues to resist profound decolonization. In the first part of this book Sayyid focuses on how demands for Muslim autonomy are debated in terms such as democracy, cultural relativism, secularism and liberalism. Each chapter analyzes the displacements and evasions by which the decolonization of the Muslim world continues to be deflected and deferred, while the latter part of the book builds on this critique, exploring and attempts to accelerate the decolonization of the Muslim Ummah.

‘Paradigm shifting … Salman Sayyid offers a breathtakingly brilliant meditation on the problem of decolonisation through Muslim thought and politics. [Written] with exceptional clarity, Recalling the Caliphate especially raises and addresses crucial questions about the role and possibilities offered by Islamist thought in imagining a decolonial world order. This monumental book should be read and taught widely.’

''S. Sayyid has written a highly insightful exploration of Muslim identity ("the ummah") in the modern world. Unlike many who have pontificated on Islam and Muslims, Sayyid is very well informed on Islamicate and European history, and has an impressive command of contemporary critical theory. The result is an excellent book.''

''To my knowledge, this is the best attempt at decolonising the Muslim mind and politics. But it is much more than that. It is a complex and powerful rendering of a Muslim contribution to a new non-liberal cosmopolitanism., and should be read by all.''

''Original and provocative, Sayyid''s evocation of the Caliphate heralds a new generation of intellectuals equally at home in discourses of postmodernity and the Islamic ummah. A significant intervention into current post-colonial debates.''