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Photo of Filippo Verre

Filippo Verre

Researcher

Photo of Filippo Verre

Michel ‘Aflaq and the Origins of the Syrian Baathist Party. The ideological construction of a ‘Civil Religion’: 1947-1952.

Author

  • Filippo Verre

Summary, in English

Michel 'Aflaq, the founder of the Baath Party, has been a revolutionary figure in the Arab world: he was a scholar and philosopher who, with his political vision, inspired an entire generation of young Arab men. He conveyed the nationalist stances towards the formation of a so-called "Civil Religion", namely socialism with Arab ideological ramifications. 'Aflaq played a major role in shaping the politics of post-war Syria, as with other relevant intellectuals such as Salah al-Din al-Bitar and Akram Al-Haurani laid the foundation for the genesis and subsequent spread of Arab socialism in the country. In his view, Islamic religion needed to be intertwined with secularism and nationalism. In this regard, the nationalist assumptions promoted by Michel 'Aflaq constituted a delicate balance between secularism and Islam. Because of such innovative and unusual political ideology, he can be labeled as the founder of a real "Civil Religion".

Publishing year

2020-12-21

Language

English

Pages

197-212

Publication/Series

Africana - Rivista di Studi Extraeuropei

Document type

Journal article

Topic

  • Political Science

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1592-9639