Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: J. F. Ade Ajayi, Michael Crowder, 

ed., History of West Africa. 2 vols. (London: Longman, 

1987); Louis Brenner, Muslim Identity and Social Change 

in Sub-Saharan Africa (Bloomington: Indiana University 

Press, 1993); Peter B. Clark, West Africa and Islam (Lon-

don: Arnold, 1982); Mervyn Hiskett, The Development 

of Islam in West Africa (London: Longman, 1984).

West Bank

  See p

alestine

.

Westernization

The process of Westernization is generally, 

although not exclusively, associated with changes 

as postcolonial and developing nations move from 

more traditional political, social, and economic 

systems of organization to models mirroring 

Western, primarily western European and North 

American, societies and the institutions that devel-

oped there in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. 

These changes include industrialization, the move 

toward capitalism, the development of parliamen-

tarianism, the growth of state bureaucracies, and a 

new, increasingly private role for religion.

Beginning in the late 19th century, Muslim 

societies experienced heightened interaction with 

Western powers and ideas, most notably through 

the latter’s colonial activities in the Middle East 

and North Africa, as well as in South and South-

east Asia. Among other effects of this contact 

was the initiation of reform efforts in Muslim 

societies, most notably the Ottoman Empire. 

Intellectually and politically, Ottoman officials, 

regional governors, and intellectuals worked to 

reconcile modern Western ideas of 

edUcation

,

economics, law, the family, and 

science

 with an 

Islamic framework. Many of the same issues with 

which these figures grappled in the 19th century 

continue to inform debate today.

Many disputes surrounding the idea and phe-

nomenon of Westernization focus on the origins 

of its constitutive elements and the degree to 

which they are transferable to non-Western soci-

eties. Some of the most widely felt and passionate 

debates about the meaning of Westernization and 

its effects have taken place in societies with major-

ity Muslim populations. In many cases, these 

debates center on whether or not modernization 

can be distinguished from Westernization, that 

is, whether it is possible to integrate modern sci-

entific, religious, political, social, and economic 

ideas while at the same time protecting aspects of 

local identities and institutions.

In both i

ran

 and e

gypt

, for example, serious 

attempts have been made to distinguish tech-

nological, military, economic, religious, social, 

and political changes from outright adherence 

to Western ideas and norms. The association of 

many of these ideas and institutions with 

colo

-

nialism

 and imperialism has inspired strenuous 

efforts to distinguish modernization from West-

ernization, with the latter most often tied to the 

onset of social and moral decay. Modernization, 

on the other hand, refers to the use of modern 

science and technologies and is generally accepted 

by Islamists and other critics of Westernization. 

In fact, many urban Islamists have a background 

in the modern natural sciences, reflecting a per-

ceived distinction between the cultural effects of 

Westernization, generally seen as destructive, and 

K  710  

West Bank

---

the technological and economic benefits of mod-

ernization. Governments, too, have been forced to 

make this distinction in order to garner legitimacy 

in the eyes of their citizens.

See also  m

UstaFa

  k

emal

  a

tatürk

;  r

Uhollah

k

homeini

;  m

Uhammad

  m

Uhammad

  a

li

 

dynasty

; 

secUlarism

.