The Idea
The idea indicates that literature, like oral culture, is not limited to pleasure or preservation; rather, it participates in shaping the shared image that people hold of the world and of themselves. The collective imaginary is formed through stories, symbols, proverbs, and representations that circulate among people. Literature here therefore appears as a force in producing shared consciousness.
Concise Formulation
Literature: contributes to: shaping the collective imaginary
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This idea appears in a context that explains how collective perceptions are formed before crystallizing into intellectual systems or formal institutions. It serves the book’s argument by tracing the sources of social imagination within Islamic culture. Literature is not a marginal matter in relation to thought, but one of its earliest pathways, shaping common sense and shared language.
Why It Matters
This idea helps show that Arkoun does not confine culture to major texts or juridical debate. Instead, he turns to literary and popular forms as carriers of deep meanings. This matters because the collective imaginary explains much of the continuity and transformation in consciousness, more than theoretical rules alone do.
Brief Evidence
The text shows that oral culture and literature are not limited to entertainment or preservation, but participate in shaping the collective imaginary. The shared image that people hold of the world and of themselves is formed from the stories, symbols, proverbs, and representations circulating among them. Literature is therefore understood here as an active force in producing shared consciousness.
Reading Questions
- How does the text expand the meaning of culture when it links literature to the collective imaginary?
- What does this link add to our understanding of the formation of consciousness in society?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.