Emergence and Development of Islamist Movements: A Glance at Approaches and Theories

Owing to the expansion of Islamist activities in the Middle East since early 1980s, numerous theorizations were made toward the description and explanation of this phenomenon. The next course of studies in this field started in early 1990s following the developments in Islamist currents. The aim of analysts in studies concerning Islamism was to understand the hows and wherefores of the expansion and then the development of this phenomenon, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.Identifying these theories and their characteristics, the present article seeks to classify them based on their typical approach toward the study of the phenomenon of Islamism. Hence, four different approaches are suggested: the thought approach, the historical and sociological approach, the regional-international approach, and the synthetic one. Then the materials and views of experts in this field are raised under the first three headings. Although this article has a descriptive nature, it can be an introduction to recognition of the existing theories, distinction of one from the others, and probable relations among them.