ABSTRACT
The chapter develops the theoretical framework of the book. It brings together Islamism research and Critical Constructivism from the field of International Relations theory to analyze Islamist organizations’ conceptions of political order beyond pre-established and often limited categories such as moderate and radical or democratic and non-democratic. After having introduced the political ideology of Islamism, I show that the theoretical concepts of norms, resistance, and power are essential to understand Islamist actors’ political orientation. I argue that Islamist political actors’ core norms, deeply intertwined with their interactions towards power preservation in a specific context, explain their conceptions of political order.
