Concise definition
For Arkoun, the imaginary is the network of images, symbols, and representations that contribute to the construction of memory and meaning within a community. It is not merely an individual imagination, but a cultural and historical dimension that helps shape people’s understanding of the world, religion, and authority.
Its place in the project
The imaginary appears within Arkoun’s reading of the formation of Islam inside human history, especially when he links memory with symbol and myth alongside jurisprudence, authority, and legitimacy. It is connected to historicity, tradition, and discourse analysis, because understanding religion is not complete at the level of texts alone; it also requires tracing the representations surrounding them and giving them their force in collective consciousness.
Example or evidence
The concept is embodied in his statement that the Qur’an and revelation are read within language, context, and historical struggle, not outside the network of representations surrounding them. It also appears in tracing the diversity of local forms of religiosity rather than a homogeneous image, because the imaginary reveals how a community produces its meanings and symbolic forms over time.
See also: Imaginary (concept page)