Re-thinking secularism in post-independence Tunisia

Journal article

Abstract:: The victory of a Tunisian Islamist party in the elections of October 2011 seems a paradox for a country long considered the most secular in the Arab world and raises questions about the nature and limited reach of secularist policies imposed by the state since independence. Drawing on a definition of secularism as a process of defining, managing, and intervening in religious life by the state, this paper identifies how under Habib Bourguiba and Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali the state sought to subordinate religion and to claim the sole right to interpret Islam for the public in an effort to win the monopoly over religious symbolism and, with it, political control. Both Bourguiba and Ben Ali relied on Islamic references for legitimacy, though this recourse to religion evolved to face changing contexts, and both sought to define Islam on their own terms. Bourguiba sought to place himself personally at the summit of power, while under Ben Ali the regime forged an authoritarian consensus of security, unity, and ‘tolerance’. In both cases the state politicised Islam but failed to maintain a monopoly over religious symbolism, facing repeated religious challenges to its political authority.

Files:: McCarthy Re-thinking Secularism in Tunisia.pdf.pdf

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Copyright holder:: Taylor and Francis
Notes:: © 2014 Taylor and Francis. This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from Taylor and Francis at: [10.1080/13629387.2014.917585].

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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