The Power of Elective Affinities in Contemporary Salafism

Research output

Complete citation

Poljarević, Emin. “The Power of Elective Affinities in Contemporary Salafism.” The Muslim World 106, no. 3 (2016): 474–500. https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12159.

Status

Published (2016)

Publication type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Overview

This article examines why contemporary Salafism attracts some young Muslims despite its common portrayal as rigid, reactionary, or socially disruptive. It shifts attention from organisational labels and security-centred accounts to the affinities between Salafi religious life and the moral aspirations of its adherents. The analysis considers how certainty, discipline, prophetic exemplarity, and a sense of belonging can make Salafism intelligible as a lived religious option. Rather than treating participation as the outcome of irrationality or doctrinal indoctrination, the article relates religious mobilisation to the search for purpose and a coherent ethical order. Its contribution is to explain attraction without endorsing the movement’s claims, thereby offering a sociologically grounded account of Salafi commitment and its affective and moral appeal.

Research question or central concern

What elective affinities make contemporary Salafism attractive to some young Muslims, and how can this attraction be explained beyond stereotypes of radicalism or reaction?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

Using the sociological idea of elective affinity, the article connects Salafi forms of discipline, certainty, community, and prophetic emulation with the aspirations of particular young Muslims. It argues that Salafism’s appeal rests partly in its capacity to organise moral life and provide a purposeful religious identity. The approach contributes a participant-centred explanation of religious mobilisation.

Keywords

Salafism; elective affinity; religious mobilisation; youth; authenticity; moral certainty; lived religion