To whom does ‘sovereignty’ belong, and what does the Islamic intellectual tradition have to say about this? While some scholars argue that a normative commitment to democracy compromises the sovereignty of God, thinkers like Rached Ghannouchi hold that democracy is an expression of a delegated power of vicegerency (or caliphate) granted to humanity by God. The final seminar of the Oxford Islam and Justice Programme explores this and related questions, such as whether the apparatus of the modern state are neutral tools that could in principle be turned to ‘Islamic’ ends (however conceived), or whether they carry their own built-in normative presuppositions.

Andrew March, Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is one of the world’s best-known and most widely published scholars on Islam and modern political thought. He will address the Seminar (in person) for around 45 minutes, followed by Q&A. Registrees will be sent a short reading by Dr March to review ahead of the seminar; reading this in advance will ensure the session is maximally beneficial.