Modernization, Democracy, and Islam
This book may mark a transition in scholarly usage: 7 of the 19 articles collected here use both "modernization" and "democracy" (or "democratization") in their title, and one entire section of five articles is entitled "Factors Influencing Modernization and the Development of Democracy." In any case, a book with the tripartite title Modernization, Democracy, and Islam may be said to cover all bases, and it does just that. The quality articles treat such diverse subjects as the econometric dimension, the role of the military, comparisons between the Middle East and Latin America, and gender inequality. There are also several abstract takes, and the final section contains seven country or regional case studies, ranging from sub-Saharan Africa to Indonesia, reflecting the growing tendency to treat not the Middle East alone but the entire Muslim world. An effort to tie all this together is made by Hunter in her very short "Conclusion and Suggested Readings," but most readers will probably pick and choose. They may well decide to choose many.
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