Combatants of Muslim Origin in European Armies in the Twentieth Century - by Xavier Bougarel & Raphaëlle Branche & Cloé Drieu (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

During the two World Wars that marked the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of non-European combatants fought in the ranks of various European armies. The majority of these soldiers were Muslims from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent.

How are these combatants considered in existing historiography? Over the past few decades, research on war has experienced a wide-reaching renewal, with increased emphasis on the social and cultural dimensions of war, and a desire to reconstruct the experience and viewpoint of the combatants themselves. This volume reintroduces the question of religious belonging and practice into the study of Muslim combatants in European armies in the 20th century, focusing on the combatants' viewpoint alongside that of the administrations and military hierarchy.

Review Quotes

Combatants of Muslim Origin in European Armies in the Twentieth Century is critical reading for anyone interested in the intertwined histories of Europe and the Muslim world during the last century, and indeed during this century. The volume reminds us that today's interactions between Muslims and Europeans have a rich history, and that stereotypes about that history often perpetuate misunderstandings in the present. Here in this study, an international team of the very best scholars in the field addresses the key issue of the role of Islam in the service of Muslims in Europeans armies during the two world wars. Readers come away with a keen understanding of a wide variety of experiences, and a far better understanding of how religion, politics, culture, and war come together in volatile ways.
Richard S. Fogarty, University at Albany, SUNY, USA

Recent new approaches to colonial and military history have shone a searchlight on the forgotten contributions made by around seven million Muslims to Europe's colonial armies during two World Wars. Offering the first survey of Muslim-origin soldiers in the French, Russian, German and British colonial armies, this volume's nine case studies offer unequalled breadth. Collectively, the essays address not only the tangible activities of loyal Muslims, but also the more subtle formulation of a loyalist Islam. This interplay of policy and piety is traced through official attitudes from above, private conscience from below, and myriad accommodations in between.
Nile Green, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

This volume is a significant contribution of scholarship that treats the topic with impressive breadth and depth and strikingly demonstrates the complex social and cultural interconnections between religion, imperial orders and warfare.
European History Quarterly

About the Author

Xavier Bougarel is a Research Fellow at the Centre d'Études Turques, Ottomanes, Balkaniques et Centrasiatiques, France.

Raphaëlle Branche is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Rouen, France.

Cloé Drieu is a Researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, France.