The Islamic Intellectual Field in Turkey: foundations of civilizationist thought and the predicament of Islamic decoloniality
Abstract
This article introduces the Islamic Intellectual Field (IIF) as a heretofore unexplored site of political theorizing that emerged outside academia in the 1940s, evolving into a diverse network of journals and associations. It develops the concept ‘Islamic decoloniality’ to describe movements seeking to replace European epistemic paradigms with Islam-based systems of knowledge. It argues that Islamic decoloniality began in Turkey in the 1940s, producing diverse movements and schools of thought, including AKP’s civilizationist ideology. It further argues that this decolonial discourse runs into a predicament by sustaining the Islam–West binary, which ultimately reproduces the same colonial hierarchies it contests.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Turkey's Politics and Society
Islamic Thought and Society Studies
Islamic Studies and History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Turkish Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 467–499
- Publication date
- 9 January 2026
- Language
- EN