Overview

Salafism has become one of the West's new political bogeymen. Many regard the movement as a by-product of a centralized foreign-policy platform shaped by so-called Saudi interests, as well as the chosen ideology of violent groups such as al-Qaeda. Based on extensive research conducted throughout Yemen between 2001 and 2009 -- particularly in the southern province of Yafi' -- this book offers an original approach to Salafism and draws a necessary counternarrative, considering the dynamics of the Salafi movement as well as its relationship to evolving local, regional, and international contexts. Having studied more than a hundred recorded sermons and conferences and dozens of books, and having interviewed numerous clerics, intellectuals, and activists, Laurent Bonnefoy provides fresh perspective on the allegedly apolitical Salafi doctrine promoted by the renowned Yemeni Salafi figure, Muqbil al-Wadi'i. Building on the principles of international relations theory and political sociology, he references the everyday practices of al-Wadi'i's dedicated followers, their rivalries, and their developing trajectories. He demonstrates that -- rather than resulting from specifically planned policies -- Yemeni Salafism has, since the early 1980s, grown out of a series of spontaneous, grassroots mechanisms that are often shaped by transnational flows, which have embedded this movement within complex Yemeni systems.

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Reviews

Salafism in Yemen is a fascinating, empirically rich investigation of an understudied but increasingly important part of today's Islamic politics. It is perhaps the best study yet produced of the intricate interactions of Yemeni salafism with Saudi Arabia and with the wider international Islamist milieu. -- Marc Lynch, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University This book is a splendid piece of research and will turn out be a classic on Salafism in Yemen. Laurent Bonnefoy manages not only to go beyond dominant state-centric approaches but he also surpasses conventional wisdoms and pretences that picture the development of Salafism in Yemen as a Saudi project. -- Paul Aarts, University of Amsterdam, author os Saudi Arabia in the Balance Salafism is one of the most important and pervasive currents in the Muslim world -- and yet it remains among the least understood aspects of contemporary Islam. Laurent Bonnefoy's masterful Salafism in Yemen goes a long way towards remedying this problem. Refuting the common misunderstanding of Salafism as a Saudi export, Bonnefoy's work explores the complex interplay between local norms and transnational religious discourse. -- Peter Mandaville, author of Global Political Islam and Associate Professor of Government & Islamic Studies, George Mason University Yemen and Salafism are both making headlines in the news, but both lack academic studies, due to the difficulties associated with field research. The challenge of Bonnefoy's book is to have studied Salafism in Yemen, remarkably succeeding in analysing it in a concrete context, and shedding new light both on the religious movement and on the Yemeni political and religious scene -- Olivier Roy, Professor at the European University Institute (Florence) and author of Holy Ignorance: When Religion and Culture Part Ways

Salafism in Yemen is a fascinating, empirically rich investigation of an understudied but increasingly important part of today's Islamic politics. It is perhaps the best study yet produced of the intricate interactions of Yemeni salafism with Saudi Arabia and with the wider international Islamist milieu. -- Marc Lynch, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University This book is a splendid piece of research and will turn out be a classic on Salafism in Yemen. Laurent Bonnefoy manages not only to go beyond dominant state-centric approaches but he also surpasses conventional wisdoms and pretences that picture the development of Salafism in Yemen as a Saudi project. -- Paul Aarts, University of Amsterdam, author os Saudi Arabia in the Balance

Author Information

Laurent Bonnefoy holds a Ph.D. in international relations from Sciences Po, Paris. He is a researcher in political science at the Institut Francais du Proche-Orient (IFPO) based in the Levant. Building on four years spent in Yemen, his research focuses primarily on contemporary religious identities in the Arabian Peninsula.

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