Beyond Doctrine: Boko-Haram, Radical Islamist Insurgency, and the Nigeria State

Drawing on Piscatori and Eickelman’s theory of symbolic politics and fragmentation of authority, we move beyond theological reductionism and situates radical Islamist insurgency within broader pattern of political competition in a multi-religious polity. This paper interrogates radical Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, challenging the doctrinal stance of Boko Haram. We argued that the group is better understood as a struggle for legitimacy and material control rather than a mere outgrowth of theological deviance. In the group’s practices, there are coherent attempts to construct an alternative political order rivaling the state’s capacity to govern. Using qualitative case study approach, this study contributes to scholarship on political Islam by showing how political-economic gains drive armed Islamist actors to participate in authority contestation in Nigeria.