Forgotten Khayr el-Din al-Tunsi's Islamic Social Contract

This book challenges the entrenched marginaliaation of Muslim contributions to political theory, exposing the epistemological biases that have privileged Western traditions while silencing rich intellectual legacies from the Islamic world. Centering on the 19th-century reformer Khayr al-Din al-Tunsi, it offers the first comprehensive analysis and translation of his political writings through the lens of Islamic jurisprudence—specifically, the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa (Objectives of the Law). Al-Tunsi’s thought presents a compelling synthesis of Islamic ethical-legal frameworks with selective European institutional models, articulating a vision of governance rooted in public welfare, justice and moral responsibility. Far from pre-modern or merely theological, his work demonstrates the dynamic potential of Islamic political thinking to address challenges of colonialism, bureaucratic stagnation and reform. By reintegrating voices like al-Tunisi’s into mainstream discourse, this study not only recovers neglected intellectual history but also expands the conceptual horizons of political theory itself.