Studies of Islamism are increasingly dichotomized, between scholars emphasizing the essential, ideologically inflexible aspects of Islamist thought and scholars who de-emphasize the ideological, choosing instead to see Islamist movements as political products of local cultural contexts. This polarized trend has grown even larger since the so-called 'Arab Spring' uprisings of 2011. Little analysis has addressed the complex interplay of global and local factors in shaping the priorities, personal evolution, and opportunity frameworks of Islamist leaders. In the Tunisian context, international factors (time spent in exile in France and England, pressure from the EU and other international actors, the global 'war on terror,' etc) have significantly shaped the evolution of Ennahda and its leadership, including-- most prominently -- Rachid al-Ghannouchi. But another set of less-understood grassroots factors -- such as the rise of Salafi jihadism, the presence of a group of young people with little historical exposure to Ennahda, and a heated debate about past abuses and transitional justice -- is also powerfully shaping the ways in which Ennahda's leadership is producing and re-articulating key ideological stances. My presentation, based on nearly two years of ethnographic fieldwork and participant observation with Ennahda leaders, grassroots supporters, and critical young people (including conservatively minded youths and self-proclaimed Salafi jihadis) addresses how this interaction of the global and local is playing out in Tunisia to interestingly shape the production of Islamic thought in a changing post-authoritarian environment.