Moderation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia : an analysis of 'pragmatist' and 'puritanical' discourses

.................................................................................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 7 Chapter 1: Saudi Arabia post 9/11: A Framework for Exploring the Rise of Moderation in Public Discourse ........................................................................................................... 8 1.1 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 Backdrop ...................................... 8 1.2 The Key Questions and Thesis ‘Problematique’ .............................................. 12 1.3 Conceptual Framework I: Anti-Orientalism..................................................... 22 1.4 A Conceptual Framework II: Language and Terminology .............................. 28 1.5 Methodological Framework ............................................................................. 32 1.6 Thesis Outline................................................................................................... 40 1.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 42 Chapter 2: The ‘Orientalisation’ of Saudi Arabia: A Critical Reflection on Orientalist Constructions of the Kingdom ........................................................................................ 43 2.1 Focus ................................................................................................................ 43 2.2 Understanding Orientalism & Occidentalism .................................................. 46 2.3 The ‘Orientalization’ of Saudi Arabia in Existing Scholarship ....................... 55 2.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 70 Chapter 3: The Impact of Wahhabism on Religion and Politics & Politicization in Saudi Arabia ............................................................................................................................. 71 3.1 Aims of the Analysis ........................................................................................ 71 3.2 A Conceptual Discussion: Wahhabism ............................................................ 73 3.3 Religion and Politics & Ibn Taymiyyah’s Influence on the Wahhabi Doctrine79 3.4 Understanding Saudi Political Culture ............................................................. 84 3.5 Reflection: Specificity of ‘Reform’ in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ............. 95 Chapter 4: Reintellectualisation: A Contextualisation of Discourses and CounterDiscourses in Saudi Arabia............................................................................................. 99 4.1 Focus ................................................................................................................ 99 4.2 The Dynamics of Media, New Technologies and Education in the Saudi Context ........................................................................................................... 100 4.3 Explaining ‘Reintellectualisation’ in the Saudi Context ................................ 104 4.4 Reintellectualisation as Increased Politicisation, the 1990s ........................... 114 4.5 Reintellectualisation: Discourses & Counter-Discourses, 1990s Onwards ... 120 4.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 128