Western Imaginings

Wahhabism is often understood as a radical version of Islam responsible for inspiring and motivating Islamic terrorism. In contrast to the existing literature that treats Wahhabism as a historical phenomenon or a monolithic theological ideology, a literature often written by authors keen to promote geopolitical interests or with ideological axes to grind, Western Imaginings: The Intellectual Contest to Define Wahhabism considers Wahhabism as a discursive construct crafted and popularized by a Western intellectual elite. This comprehensive study speaks to how and why Western intellectuals have chosen to represent Wahhabism in specific ways.