Introduction
1. Migrations
2. Locations
3. Authorities
4. Groundings
Interlude: Exchanging Arabs
5. Non-Alignment
6. Peacekeeping
7. The Global War on Terror
Darryl Li is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago.
"Focused on the Bosnian jihad and the wider world, both in that era
and since, The Universal Enemy is original, authoritative, and
broad in significance. This remarkable achievement is anchored in
Darryl Li's unique combination of skills and sensibilities, which
are at once ethnographic, lawyerly, and linguistic."—Brinkley
Messick, Columbia University
"In this deeply original book, Darryl Li paints a vivid portrait of
jihadist universalism and its mobilization both for and against
imperial power. Thought-provoking and beautifully written, The
Universal Enemy raises important questions about the legalities,
conduct, and effects of global violence in all its forms."—Lauren
Benton, Vanderbilt University
"A fascinating and highly readable account of jihad from the
perspective of Islamic fighters. The Universal Enemy shows
brilliantly that jihad is not a uniform terrorist movement but
includes a wide variety of actors, motivations, and ideologies
inspired by religion and the aspiration for universality, parallel
to other ideologies such as human rights."—Sally Engle Merry, New
York University
"Darryl Li offers superb insight into a figure that shapes so much
law and policy but is little understood—the 'universal enemy,' the
foreign Muslim fighter. Telling the stories of these mujahids,
their motivations and aspirations, with exceptional empathy and
detail, he challenges much of what we think we know. The Universal
Enemy offers a new and compelling way of understanding universalism
and violence, empire and solidarity."—Anthony Anghie, National
University of Singapore and University of Utah
"[This book] stingingly criticizes the field of 'jihadism' as an
academic discipline connected to the national security state....Li
lets his subjects speak for themselves and casts few judgments. The
picture that emerges is a morally complex one."—Murtaza Hussain,
The Intercept
"The Universal Enemy is extraordinary in combining many of the
techniques of social science with a sophisticated knowledge of
Islamic doctrines and controversies—except that, rather than
assuming that religious texts are simply vectors for ideology, he
focuses on how they are actually produced and used....[Li] seems to
have read everything relevant to his topic and to anticipate many
possible counter-arguments."—Jonathan Benthall, Times Literary
Supplement
"The Universal Enemy is a critical and welcome addition to our
debates around radicalisation, Islamism and transnational
politics."—Usman Butt, The New Arab
"Li is a gifted writer and storyteller, and his research has
amazing breadth....[He] should be commended for a finely crafted
plunge into international jihad."—John Waterbury, Foreign
Affairs
"[Li] effectively confronts the demonization of jihadists in the
aftermath of 9/11, particularly in the US....The author's
linguistic skills and the depth of the interviews are impressive,
and the case selection is intriguing. Recommended."—A. T. Kuru,
CHOICE
"[A] provocative and deeply researched new book....The Universal
Enemy is the product of difficult and meticulous data collection. I
expect that it will be cited as a standard-setting work of
qualitative empirical research on political violence."—Mara Revkin,
Lawfare
"This important book offers many insights for scholars and students
of political thought, anthropology, and law. Li's breadth and
acumen in navigating these different fields of study is
impressive....[The Universal Enemy] offers a vital contribution to
the literature on jihad and universalism, and will undoubtedly
furnish its readers with critical tools to approach both with fresh
perspectives."—Pınar Kemerli, Political Theory
"As an original study of transregional mobility and political
belonging, Li's anthropological take on international law and
history of empire upsets common assumptions about the politics of
identity and solidarity in the context of contemporary
warfare....[A] work of breathtaking reach and intrigue, The
Universal Enemy explores how political identities form and collide
through claims of belonging to a project larger than oneself."—Anna
Simone Reumert, MERIP
"The Universal Enemy is a timely intervention into political as
well as scholarly debates....The story of the Bosnian Jihad
continues to influence a wide range of seemingly incommensurable
projects and seems to pre-figure aspects of current debates about
the nature of rights and the limits of legitimate coercion. Li's
ambition in trying to theorize these complexly interwoven threads
together should be commended."—Geoff Hughes, Political Theology
"[At] once a methodology, an ethics, and a praxis....[The Universal
Enemy] presents a challenge not only to the scholarly and policy
expertise produced about 'terrorism' and 'jihad,' but also to the
very practice of academic and political 'theorizing' about them in
the first place.."—C. Heike Schotten, Contemporary Political
Theory
"This is an important and singular book, one that can be
recommended to anyone interested in jihad, Bosnia, the GWOT, race
and difference in Europe, or universalism... The Universal Enemy
succeeds in illuminating these lived projects and enmeshments and
making clear why, and how, they matter for us all."—Nadia
El-Shaarawi, International Journal of Middle East Studies
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