The idea
This idea states that the study of Islam within the social sciences remains incomplete in terms of the tools it relies on and the questions it begins from. The problem is not only a lack of information, but also the weakness of the framework that organizes understanding and determines what should be asked. Islam therefore appears here as a subject that requires a revision in the way it is read, not merely the collection of additional data.
Concise formulation
The social sciences with regard to Islam: suffer from a theoretical and epistemological deficit
Its place in the book’s argument
This claim appears at the beginning of Arkoun’s diagnosis of the limitations of mainstream studies of Islam. It prepares the reader for the idea that the crisis does not concern Islam as a subject alone, but also the knowledge that addresses it. In this sense, the theoretical and epistemological deficit becomes the starting point for a broader argument calling for the rebuilding of tools of understanding rather than simply relying on ready-made interpretive inheritances.
Why it matters
The importance of this claim lies in the fact that it places Arkoun in the position of critic of the usual ways of understanding, not of the subject itself. It also helps explain why he insists on the need to renew the study of Islam through broader and more rigorous questions. Without it, it is difficult to grasp the character of his project, which begins with criticism of the tools of knowledge before criticism of the results.
Brief evidence
The text says that the study of Islam within the social sciences remains incomplete in terms of its tools and questions. The problem is not only a lack of information, but also the weakness of the framework that organizes understanding and determines what should be asked. Islam therefore appears here as a subject that requires a revision in the way it is read.
Reading questions
- What does it mean for the deficit to be theoretical and epistemological rather than merely informational?
- How does this diagnosis change the way Islam is read within the social sciences?
Degree of documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.