Re-Thinking Islam’s Global History

Re-Thinking Islam’s Global History

Islam is often treated as a civilisation apart — self-contained, resistant to modernity, and fundamentally at odds with the West. In this episode, Thomas speaks to Oxford professor James McDougall about why that framing is misleading, and how Islamic history is inseparable from the making of the modern world itself. Drawing on his new book Worlds of Islam: A Global History, McDougall explains: Why Islamic and Western histories are deeply intertwined rather than civilisationally opposed The extent to which Islam is an imperial and political project Islam’s role in shaping global modernity before European dominance What made European power different in the nineteenth century How the Mongol sack of Baghdad reshaped the geography of the Islamic world The importance of Central Asia, Indonesia, and West Africa to Islamic history The debate over early Islamic sources and why scholarly scepticism has softened Whether today’s tensions reflect a clash of civilizations — or a clash of perspectives Follow James on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamesrobertmcdougall Follow James on Substack: substack.com/@mcdougalljames Follow James of Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamesrmcd.bsky.social Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(193)

Paul Kenyon: 30 Years Under Fire as a BBC War Reporter

Paul Kenyon: 30 Years Under Fire as a BBC War Reporter

In this episode, Thomas talks to distinguished BBC journalist Paul Kenyon about his new podcast series Two Nottingham Lads. Paul recalls highlights from his remarkable career, which has taken him from...

29 Jan 58min

Mali: When Jihadists Win

Mali: When Jihadists Win

As jihadist violence in Mali escalates, Thomas and Aimen trace the history and present-day power of JNIM (‘Support Group for Islam and Muslims’), an Al Qaeda affiliate that has been laying siege to th...

27 Jan 54min

Syrian Blitzkrieg: How Damascus Crushed the SDF

Syrian Blitzkrieg: How Damascus Crushed the SDF

In this episode, Aaron Zelin returns to Conflicted to unpack the extraordinary collapse of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ position in northeast Syria over the past week — and what the fallout could mea...

22 Jan 55min

Trump vs USAID: The Rise and Fall of America’s Aid Empire

Trump vs USAID: The Rise and Fall of America’s Aid Empire

On the first anniversary of the dismantling of USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, Thomas and Aimen trace the history of the organisation and ask whether USAID’s collapse re...

20 Jan 54min

How Yemen Broke the Saudi-UAE Alliance

How Yemen Broke the Saudi-UAE Alliance

In this episode, Yemeni researcher and political analyst Baraa Shiban (a great friend of the show) tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of how different visions for the future of Yemen led long...

15 Jan 1h 25min

Crisis in the Gulf: Saudi vs UAE

Crisis in the Gulf: Saudi vs UAE

A rare public rupture has emerged between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Triggered by a dramatic escalation over Yemen in late December 2025, the dispute has exposed deeper ideological and...

13 Jan 52min

The Crisis in Iran: The History Behind US-Iran Tensions

The Crisis in Iran: The History Behind US-Iran Tensions

As mass protests sweep Iran and President Trump declares the U.S. is ‘locked and loaded’, Thomas and Aimen revisit the event that shaped U.S.–Iran relations for the next half-century: the Iran Hostage...

6 Jan 56min

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