The Idea
The idea of the «return of religion» here is not understood as a general description of all societies, but as an expression that emerged from a specific European experience. The meaning first presupposes that religion had retreated from the public sphere and then returned to it. For this reason, the text warns against transferring this expression as is into the Arab-Islamic context, because religion there did not disappear in this way for it to be said that it returned.
Concise Formulation
Return of religion: a European concept linked to a prior absence of religion
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim serves the book’s argument by drawing attention to the error of imposing ready-made concepts on a different history. The text is not discussing the presence of religion as such, but rather the way this presence is understood within Arab-Islamic debate. From here, the objection to the phrase «return of religion» becomes part of a broader critique of borrowed language when it is used without regard for local historical experience.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim appears in that it confronts the reader with the limits of imported concepts. It also helps one understand Arkoun as a critic of the way religion is spoken about, rather than as someone merely content to state its presence or absence. It further reminds us that confusing contexts can obscure the nature of the intellectual crisis instead of clarifying it.
Brief Evidence
The text rejects understanding the phrase «return of religion» or «return of the religious factor» as it is used in the Arab-Islamic context. This phrase emerged from a specific European experience that presumes religion had disappeared from the public sphere and then returned to it. Therefore, the text warns against transferring it directly to a context in which religion did not disappear in this way.
Reading Questions
- Why does the text reject using «return of religion» in the Arab-Islamic context as it is used in Europe?
- How does this objection change the way one understands the presence of religion in the book’s argument?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear place in the book’s material.