Unitary Islam as an analytical category explains little about diverse Muslim societies

Evidence

As far as “Islam” as a social and political system - it should become evident that I do not believe there is much to be gained by regarding the many sociopolitical realities that the term applies to as part of a single phenomenon. As an object of social and political analysis, or as a force in international affairs, there is little that can be explained, praised or denounced by reference to a unitary “Islam.” — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3514

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the methodological stance of refusing ‘Islam’ as a single-unit analysis — useful for any cross-cultural or area-studies reading.
• XREF: connects to: Essentialist views framed Muslim-majority societies as static and the West as dynamic; Religion is one factor among many, not the defining one, in Muslim-majority societies