The Idea
This claim holds that the market achieves its victory when the presence of the state, with its socialist or French character, recedes in the management of the social and economic sphere. The meaning here is not merely economic description, but an indication of a shift in the balance of power between the state and the organizations that once regulated public life. This shift is understood as a sign of a broader transformation in the mode of governance and authority.
Concise Formulation
The market: prevails over the socialist and French state
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
The book uses this meaning to show that the crisis it discusses is not only intellectual, but also affects the structures that organize modern society. Mentioning the market here broadens the horizon of reading from the question of Islam and the West to the transformations of the state itself, and to how the conditions of political and social action have changed. In this way, the text links critique of discourse with critique of the reality within which it moves.
Why It Matters
The importance of the idea lies in its reminder that discussion of religion cannot be separated from the shape of society, power, and the economy. It helps in understanding Arkoun because he does not treat Islam as an isolated issue, but as situated within a world in which the balances of organization and domination are changing. This clarifies why questions of religion stand alongside questions of the state and the public sphere in his work.
Brief Evidence
It presents examples of the market’s “victories” over the socialist/French state. The meaning here is not purely economic, but points to a decline in the state’s presence in managing the social and economic sphere. This transformation is understood as a sign of a broader shift in the balance of power between the state and the market.
Reading Questions
- How does the changing role of the state affect the way religious and political issues are understood?
- Does the market’s victory also mean a change in values, or only in mechanisms of organization?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location within the book’s material.