Is Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood best understood, per the conventional wisdom, as either a largely stagnant movement or one that has followed a steady trajectory toward moderation? Or, as Youssef Ahmed compellingly argues, has its ideology, organization, and political practices reflected transformations of the modern Egyptian state?

Looking at the fractured nature of the movement’s existence from its inception in 1928 to its decimation in 1954, and then from its second incarnation beginning in the 1970s, Ahmed explores how the profoundly differing political systems and institutions of the two periods shaped the movement’s Islamist project, its patterns of politicization, and its relationship to authority. His work sheds light on the evolution of more than a century of Egyptian politics - and enables a deeper understanding of social and political currents in the country today.