Study of Mahdism in Barghawatah State Based on the Analysis of Discourse Theory of Laclau and Mouffe

Barghawatah were from among the religious Suffriya Berbers، who، relying on the simple-mindedness of the tribes and their dissatisfaction with the political situation established a state in Far Maghrib in the first half of 2nd/8th century by propagating an eclectic doctrinal tenet and claiming Mahdi and continued until mid-5th/9th century. Strategies of doctrinal discourses of Barghawatah’s state based on Mahdism influenced their supremacy (siyāda)، but with the dominance of discourses by the Shī‘as and the Sunnīs، who struggled (waged jahād) against them، they were weakened and finally lost their sovereignty to the Almoravids. This article is intended to explain why and how Mahdism discourse influenced their legitimacy and hegemony by delving into and analyzing the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe.