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Islam: To Reform or to Subvert?
At a time when Islam is the focus of attention, vilified by some and a source of inspiration for others, Arkoun’s is one of few voices that seek to go against the stream. His radical review of mainstream historiography of Islam draws on interdisciplinary analysis – historical, social, psychological and anthropological.
As one of the foremost thinkers of the Muslim world, Arkoun is in a position to question dogmatic constructs from within, with respect and critical acumen. An understanding of this approach will lead to an emancipatory turn in the intellectual and political spheres of Muslim societies.
Mohammed Arkoun is Emeritus professor at the Sorbonne, Paris, and Editor of Arabica: Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies. He is the acclaimed author of several works on Islamic thought and Qur'anic exegesis, including Islam, Europe and the West and Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers.
As one of the foremost thinkers of the Muslim world, Arkoun is in a position to question dogmatic constructs from within, with respect and critical acumen. An understanding of this approach will lead to an emancipatory turn in the intellectual and political spheres of Muslim societies.
Mohammed Arkoun is Emeritus professor at the Sorbonne, Paris, and Editor of Arabica: Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies. He is the acclaimed author of several works on Islamic thought and Qur'anic exegesis, including Islam, Europe and the West and Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers.
416 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2006
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About the author
Mohammed Arkoun
64 books364 followersProfessor Mohammed Arkoun (Berber: Muḥemmed Arkun, Arabic: محمد أركون), was an Algerian scholar and thinker of Berber descent. He was considered to have been one of the most influential secular scholars in Islamic studies contributing to contemporary intellectual Islamic reform. In a career of more than 30 years, he had been a critic of the tensions embedded in his field of study, advocating Islamic modernism, secularism, and humanism. During his academic career, he wrote his numerous books mostly in French, and occasionally in English and Arabic.
he studied at the Faculty of Literature of the University of Algiers and at the Sorbonne in Paris (Agrégé in Arabic language and Literature, 1956 and Ph.D., 1968). He established his academic reputation with his studies of the history and philosophy of Ibn Miskawayh. As he began to consider how one might rethink Islam in the contemporary world, his questioning provided a counterpoint to the predominant interpretations of both the Muslim world and the non-Muslim West. As the editor of Arabica, he broadened the journal's scope, and played a "significant" role in shaping Western-language scholarship on Islam (source?). He is the author of numerous books in French, English and Arabic, including most recently: Rethinking Islam (Boulder, Colorado, 1994), L'immigration: défis et richesses (Paris, 1998) and The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought (London, 2002).[2] His shorter studies have appeared in many academic journals and his works have been translated into several languages.
He was decorated as an Officer of the French Légion d'honneur in July 1996. In 2001, Professor Arkoun was asked to deliver the Gifford Lectures, which enable a notable scholar to contribute to the advancement of theological and philosophical thought and was announced as the recipient of the Seventeenth Georgio Levi Della Vida Award for his lifelong contribution to the field of Islamic Studies.
Arkoun taught at the Lyon 2 University (1969–1972), as a professor at the Paris 8 University, and at the New Sorbonne University of Paris (1972–1992). He was a Fellow at Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin (1986–1987 and 1990) and at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A (1992–1993), visiting professor at University of California, Los Angeles (1969), Princeton University (1985), Temple University, the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Wallonia, Belgium, (1977–1979), the Pontifical Institute of Arabic Studies in Rome and the University of Amsterdam (1991–1993) and served as a jury member for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. At the time of his death he was Emeritus Professor at La Sorbonne as well as Senior Research Fellow and member of the Board of Governors of The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), At IIS, he has taught various graduate courses including unthought in contemporary Islamic thought, rethinking Islam, contemporary challenges of Muslim world and traditions for almost a decade.
Arkoun died on the evening of September 14, 2010, in Paris.
باحث ومؤرخ ومفكر جزائري، ولد عام 1928 في بلدة تاوريرت ن ميمون(آث يني) بمنطقة القبائل الكبرى الأمازيغية بالجزائر، ;و انتقل مع عائلته إلى بلدة عين الأربعاء(ولاية عين تموشنت) حيث درس دراسته الإبتدائية بها. وأكمل دراسته الثانوية في وهران، إبتدأ دراسته الجامعية بكلية الفلسفة في الجزائر ثم أتم دراسته في السوربون في باريس.
==فكره==
يتميز فكر أركون بمحاولة عدم الفصل بين الحضارات شرقية وغربية واحتكار الإسقاطات على أحدهما دون الآخر، بل إمكانية فهم الحضارات دون النظر إليها على أنها شكل غريب من الآخر، وهو ينتقد الإستشراق المبني على هذا الشكل من البحث. 1- رفع القداسة عن القرآن الكريم, والتعامل مع القرآن على أنه منتوج بشري. 2- رجل علماني بحت. 3- التشكيك في نسبة النصوص الأصلية في الإسلام (الكتاب والسنة)
عُين محمد اركون أستاذا لتاريخ الفكر الإسلامي والفلسفة في جامعة السوربون عام 1968 بعد حصوله على درجة دكتوراه في الفلسفة منها، وعمل كباحث مرافق في برلين عام 1986 و 1987. شغل منذ العام 1993 منصب عضو في مجلس إدارة معاهد الدراسات الإسلامية في لندن.
he studied at the Faculty of Literature of the University of Algiers and at the Sorbonne in Paris (Agrégé in Arabic language and Literature, 1956 and Ph.D., 1968). He established his academic reputation with his studies of the history and philosophy of Ibn Miskawayh. As he began to consider how one might rethink Islam in the contemporary world, his questioning provided a counterpoint to the predominant interpretations of both the Muslim world and the non-Muslim West. As the editor of Arabica, he broadened the journal's scope, and played a "significant" role in shaping Western-language scholarship on Islam (source?). He is the author of numerous books in French, English and Arabic, including most recently: Rethinking Islam (Boulder, Colorado, 1994), L'immigration: défis et richesses (Paris, 1998) and The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought (London, 2002).[2] His shorter studies have appeared in many academic journals and his works have been translated into several languages.
He was decorated as an Officer of the French Légion d'honneur in July 1996. In 2001, Professor Arkoun was asked to deliver the Gifford Lectures, which enable a notable scholar to contribute to the advancement of theological and philosophical thought and was announced as the recipient of the Seventeenth Georgio Levi Della Vida Award for his lifelong contribution to the field of Islamic Studies.
Arkoun taught at the Lyon 2 University (1969–1972), as a professor at the Paris 8 University, and at the New Sorbonne University of Paris (1972–1992). He was a Fellow at Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin (1986–1987 and 1990) and at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A (1992–1993), visiting professor at University of California, Los Angeles (1969), Princeton University (1985), Temple University, the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Wallonia, Belgium, (1977–1979), the Pontifical Institute of Arabic Studies in Rome and the University of Amsterdam (1991–1993) and served as a jury member for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. At the time of his death he was Emeritus Professor at La Sorbonne as well as Senior Research Fellow and member of the Board of Governors of The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), At IIS, he has taught various graduate courses including unthought in contemporary Islamic thought, rethinking Islam, contemporary challenges of Muslim world and traditions for almost a decade.
Arkoun died on the evening of September 14, 2010, in Paris.
باحث ومؤرخ ومفكر جزائري، ولد عام 1928 في بلدة تاوريرت ن ميمون(آث يني) بمنطقة القبائل الكبرى الأمازيغية بالجزائر، ;و انتقل مع عائلته إلى بلدة عين الأربعاء(ولاية عين تموشنت) حيث درس دراسته الإبتدائية بها. وأكمل دراسته الثانوية في وهران، إبتدأ دراسته الجامعية بكلية الفلسفة في الجزائر ثم أتم دراسته في السوربون في باريس.
==فكره==
يتميز فكر أركون بمحاولة عدم الفصل بين الحضارات شرقية وغربية واحتكار الإسقاطات على أحدهما دون الآخر، بل إمكانية فهم الحضارات دون النظر إليها على أنها شكل غريب من الآخر، وهو ينتقد الإستشراق المبني على هذا الشكل من البحث. 1- رفع القداسة عن القرآن الكريم, والتعامل مع القرآن على أنه منتوج بشري. 2- رجل علماني بحت. 3- التشكيك في نسبة النصوص الأصلية في الإسلام (الكتاب والسنة)
عُين محمد اركون أستاذا لتاريخ الفكر الإسلامي والفلسفة في جامعة السوربون عام 1968 بعد حصوله على درجة دكتوراه في الفلسفة منها، وعمل كباحث مرافق في برلين عام 1986 و 1987. شغل منذ العام 1993 منصب عضو في مجلس إدارة معاهد الدراسات الإسلامية في لندن.
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January 29, 2014
Is there any room left for a scholarly interpretation of Islam after centuries of literature produced by its passionate believers?
The book is very difficult to understand, each sentence almost as difficult as understanding the Quran itself. The book is obviously meant as a scholarly consumption but still it threw quite a few important points for a layman like me.
Is there any clear benefit in encouraging the ordinary followers of Islam in the complex dialectic of the text? There has been considerable historical debate within the Islamic scholars whether to encourage or discourage such a debate mainly because of the danger of misinterpretation of the sacred text based on passion rather than scholarship.The debate seems to been concluded un-resoundingly in favour of the passionate as no one seems to be really interested in any scholarly interpretation any more.
Scholarly interpretation of Quran, Hadith and Sunnah has clearly become a collateral damage after the fall from grace of the various Islamic empires across the world, after any Islamic scholarship lost their sponsorship in the 13th century in a series of edicts against the free thinking Mutazalites. I guess this golden period had to end as all brotherhoods are an antithesis of individual thought by definition. Same has happened to Communism recently. In this void the task of interpretation was only left to the passionate followers of Islam which has unfortunately brought us to this present situation of blind acceptance. Another reason was the lack of religious structure similar to the Vatican or a Constantinople which basically meant that it was easier for the passionate to prop their particular version. The only way out of this bog of passionate rhetoric is for Islamic scholars to take up the mantle in established Western universities and to keep producing similar work of academic eloquence.
This book is not for the layman, it requires a serious scholarly mind, which is why much of the argument was lost on me unfortunately.
The book is very difficult to understand, each sentence almost as difficult as understanding the Quran itself. The book is obviously meant as a scholarly consumption but still it threw quite a few important points for a layman like me.
Is there any clear benefit in encouraging the ordinary followers of Islam in the complex dialectic of the text? There has been considerable historical debate within the Islamic scholars whether to encourage or discourage such a debate mainly because of the danger of misinterpretation of the sacred text based on passion rather than scholarship.The debate seems to been concluded un-resoundingly in favour of the passionate as no one seems to be really interested in any scholarly interpretation any more.
Scholarly interpretation of Quran, Hadith and Sunnah has clearly become a collateral damage after the fall from grace of the various Islamic empires across the world, after any Islamic scholarship lost their sponsorship in the 13th century in a series of edicts against the free thinking Mutazalites. I guess this golden period had to end as all brotherhoods are an antithesis of individual thought by definition. Same has happened to Communism recently. In this void the task of interpretation was only left to the passionate followers of Islam which has unfortunately brought us to this present situation of blind acceptance. Another reason was the lack of religious structure similar to the Vatican or a Constantinople which basically meant that it was easier for the passionate to prop their particular version. The only way out of this bog of passionate rhetoric is for Islamic scholars to take up the mantle in established Western universities and to keep producing similar work of academic eloquence.
This book is not for the layman, it requires a serious scholarly mind, which is why much of the argument was lost on me unfortunately.
Displaying 1 of 1 review