The thought-provoking essays brought together in this volume address many of the most complex issues facing the contemporary Middle East and Central Asia. The meticulously researched and clearly presented papers within this volume not only provide rich empirical insights into these challenges, but also raise intriguing questions about the prospects of peace, stability, and prosperity across the region.

Benjamin Isakhan, associate professor, Deakin University

Asking why we often fail to capture the uncertainties of political and social trends, this volume creatively interrogates conventional scholarly approaches. Based on a skillful reading of events from Syria to Afghanistan, it persuasively brings home that to understate the formative influence of local context, agency, and resistance is to miss unraveling the subtleties of Middle Eastern and Central Asian politics.

James Piscatori, Australian National University, coauthor of Muslim Politics