The Idea
This statement calls for reading Islam through new cognitive tools, rather than merely repeating what has become established in traditional scholarship or in some Western studies. What is meant is that the angle of vision itself must change, so that what was hidden behind ready-made classifications may come to light. Knowledge here is not an innocent description, but a means of rearranging the questions surrounding religion, history, and meaning.
Concise Formulation
Epistemological renewal: reveals: the solidarity between Orientalism and Islamic orthodoxy
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim appears at the heart of the book’s argument when it links criticism of prevailing methods to uncovering an invisible entanglement between two discourses that appear to be opposites. Epistemological renewal is therefore not an end in itself, but a condition for understanding how Orientalism and Islamic orthodoxy support one another in producing a closed image of Islam. The claim thus serves the project of dismantling dual certainties.
Why It Matters
The importance of this statement becomes clear because it shifts the discussion from a debate over ideas to a debate over the very methods of understanding. In this way, Arkoun appears concerned with freeing the study of Islam from frameworks that reproduce the problem rather than solve it. This claim also helps explain why he does not limit himself to criticizing one side, but places more than one discourse under review.
Reading Questions
- How does the text understand the relationship between renewing knowledge and uncovering mutual illusions?
- What does the reader lose if Orientalism and Islamic orthodoxy are read as simple opposites?
Documentation Level
High: the claim appears in a clear location within the book’s material.
Brief Evidence
The text calls for reading Islam through new cognitive tools instead of merely repeating traditional scholarship or some Western studies. What is required is a change in the angle of vision itself, so that what was hidden behind ready-made classifications may become visible. Knowledge thus becomes a means of rearranging the questions surrounding religion, history, and meaning.