At a time when Islam is the focus of attention, vilified by some and a source of inspiration for others, Arkouns 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 ArkounMohammed Arkoun is one of the Muslim world's foremost thinkers. His efforts to liberate Islamic history from dogmatic constructs have led him to a radical review of traditional history. Drawing on a combination of pertinent disciplines-history, sociology, psychology, and anthropology-his approach subjects every system of belief and non-belief, every tradition of exegesis, theology, and jurisprudence to a critique aimed at liberating reason from the grip of dogmatic postulates. The expected outcome of such a strategy is an emancipated political reason working hand in hand with a truly creative imagination for a radical re-construction of mind and society in the contemporary Muslim world.
Este libro pretende -a traves de una rápida ojeada y de un juicio de conjunto sobre el pensamiento árabe- pasar revista a temas como la influencia del Corán en la civilización comtemporánea, las realidades propias de los universos precoranicos, la competencia entre “ciencias religiosas” y “ciencias racionales” en el seno del arabismo, e incluso la modificacion de las relaciones economicas o estrategicas bajo la influencia europea, o el fenomeno colonial. El objetivo es asumir intelectual y cientificamente el Islam y sus problemas actuales, y la conclusion es que solo un conocimiento profundo de este misterioso universo podra permitir que nos enfrentemos, con conocimiento de causa, a esta fase de crisis generalizada de nuestra cultura.