Publisher Description

Between the Ideal and the Real describes why Iraq state-building and democratic transformation failed by offering a very new, and unusual, perspective, away from the usual blame assigned to the US that has become part of the "conventional wisdom" about Iraq and the Middle East. Although the book acknowledges US failings in Iraq, the main argument it presents is that the main causes of failure lie in a problematic alliance between Iraqi Shiite Islamist parties and the clerical establishment in Najaf, led by Ayatollah Sistani. To appreciate this new perspective, the book takes you into the history of Iraqi Shiism both as a set of doctrinal and theological beliefs about the world and a lived experience by ordinary Iraqi Shias. The book argues that this understanding hindered Shias from embracing many products of modernity such as nationalism, individualism, humanism, and democratic rule, by consolidating a primordial group identity that ties people to the past, a particular kind of past based on doctrinal supremacy and historical victimhood. Combined, the two have the negative effect of depriving ordinary Iraqi Shias of a personal sense of agency and contributing to a general spirit skeptical of difference. The book also documents people's push back against this restrictive approach to reality in a variety of contexts. Based on extensive historical and doctrinal research into the distant past of Shiism, the book links the past to the present by examining the unfortunate consequences that grow out of the insistence to allow pre-modern values determine the modern experience of life.

Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Purity as a Guarantee of Epistemological Certitude: A Shiite Theory of
Knowledge
Chapter 2: The "Mind" as a Purist Moment: The Conflict between the Real and the Ideal within Shiism
Chapter 3: Modernity as a Challenge to the Purist Network of Shiism
Chapter 4: Husseini Mourning Folk Poetry as a Purist Register: A Mirror for the Transformation of Identity
Chapter 5: Componentialism: Iraqi Shiite Purism Put to the Test after 2003
Glossary
Bibliography
About the Author
Index

Review

A must-read for those seeking a nuanced understanding of the Shia worldview and its responses to Iraq's modern challenges. Akeel Abbas skillfully delineates the theological foundations of Shia purism, its different manifestations, and its tension with the impurity of the real world. -- Harith Hasan, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Dr Akeel Abbas' Between the Ideal and the Real: Shia Purism and the Dilemma of Modernity in Iraq delves into Shiite purism's encounter with modernity, offering an in-depth analysis of the theological, historical, and socio-political challenges within Iraqi Shiite communities. At the heart of the book is 'Shia purism,' a concept introduced by Abbas that sheds light on the ongoing tension between religious ideals and contemporary life. This work is a key addition to understanding the intricate relationship between tradition and modernity, providing fresh insights into the struggles of Iraqi Shia. It is a critical resource for scholars, policymakers, and anyone exploring the evolution of religious identity in today's world. -- Shatha Al Juburi, Shatha Al Juburi, School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster

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