The clash that never was: Debating Islam, the myth of civilizations and democracy’s realities

This is a review of the book Towards New Democratic Imaginaries – Istanbul Seminars on Islam, Culture and Politics, edited by Seyla Benhabib and Volker Kaul (Springer, 2017). It relates the genesis of the Istanbul Seminars and discusses their intellectual and political rationale. It then articulates some of the intellectual approaches, analytical perspectives, and ingredients for critical analysis the 30 contributions to the volume bring in the search of new political imaginaries able to solve the simultaneous crises of democracy and of Islam, of politics and religion.