| ID | 109072 |
| Title Proper | Misreading Islam in Iraq |
| Other Title Information | secular misconceptions and British foreign policy |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Gutkowski, Stacey |
| Publication | 2011. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Though British foreign policy toward Iraq was officially separate from counterterrorism strategy, ideas about the "global war on terror" circulated in both policy milieus. This article deploys the concept of the security imaginary, adding insights from Pierre Bourdieu's notion of the habitus, to explore why this was the case. The British security imaginary, as structured by a secular social landscape coming to terms with "radical Islamism," was beholden to a series of problematic assumptions about religio-politics. This article focuses on British perceptions of the Islamist Jaish al-Mehdi militia between 2003 and 2004. Beyond the Iraq example, this historical incident suggests intimate connections between the experience of domestic secularity and warfare. |
| `In' analytical Note | Security Studies Vol. 20, No. 4; Oct-Dec 2011: p.592-623 |
| Journal Source | Security Studies Vol. 20, No. 4; Oct-Dec 2011: p.592-623 |
| Key Words | British Foreign Policy ; Iraq ; Misreading Islam ; Domestic Secularity ; Warfare ; Islamist Jaish al-Mehdi Militia ; Global War on Terror ; Counterterrorism Strategy |