La peur--modernité
Book Description
In this profound exploration of contemporary Islamic consciousness, Fatima Mernissi ventures into the complex psychological landscape where tradition meets modernity. Rather than simply declaring Islam and democracy incompatible, she invites readers to understand the deeper mental territory inhabited by Muslim men and women today.
Mernissi illuminates the multiple fears that shape this inner world: the anxiety surrounding Western influence as something foreign and threatening, the unease with individualism and freedom of expression, the discomfort with universal time structures imposed from outside, and the deep concern about imagery and imagination linked to pre-Islamic ignorance. These fears converge most intensely around the figure of woman.
The author reveals how women have become lightning rods for broader cultural anxieties, symbolically connected to chaos, disorder, and polytheistic regression. As women enter the workforce and challenge traditional economic and family structures, they often become scapegoats for political crises and personal humiliations. Yet Mernissi also recognizes women's inevitable emergence as potentially decisive forces in democratic transformation.
Through careful analysis of symbolic networks and cultural psychology, this work offers readers a nuanced understanding of how spiritual and political identities intersect in the modern Islamic world. Mernissi's insights provide essential context for anyone seeking to comprehend the ongoing tensions between religious tradition and contemporary democratic aspirations.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 250 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Islam and world politics
- ✓ Explore Western influences
- ✓ Explore Democracy
- ✓ Explore Arab Civilization
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore East and West
- ✓ Explore Islamic civilization
- ✓ Explore Islam and state
