The Idea
Arkoun argues that the failure of the state-nation-party model is not merely an administrative or political setback; it becomes a deeper problem: the absence of legitimacy in the eyes of the people. When the state loses its ability to persuade and to represent, the field becomes open for other forces to present themselves as the alternative most capable of granting meaning, legitimacy, and justice.
Condensed Formulation
Failure of the state-nation-party model: creates: a legitimacy vacuum
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim lies at the heart of the book’s explanation of the rise of Islamist movements. It does not treat them as a separate religious phenomenon, but connects them to a defect in the modern political structure when it fails to build public trust. In this sense, the legitimacy vacuum forms a bridge between the crisis of the state on the one hand, and the shift in social search for an alternative on the other.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim lies in the way it shifts the discussion from a superficial explanation to a deeper understanding of the roots of the crisis. It helps read Islamism as a response to a political and social vacuum, not merely as an expression of religious refusal. It also reveals that Arkoun links the reform of thought to the reform of the conditions of coexistence and public representation.
Brief Evidence
Arkoun connects the rise of Islamist movements to the failure of the «state – nation – party» model. The failure of this model does not remain merely an administrative or political setback; it turns into a vacuum of legitimacy in the eyes of the people. At that point, other forces advance to present themselves as the alternative capable of granting meaning, legitimacy, and justice.
Reading Questions
- How does Arkoun understand the relationship between a weak state and the emergence of alternatives carrying a strong religious or political discourse?
- Does the text mean to say that the crisis in political legitimacy precedes the intellectual crisis, or that the two feed one another?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.