Idea
This thesis links the history of the monotheistic religions to the history of mutual domination between the West and the East. In other words, it does not read the relationship between them as an innocent encounter or one detached from politics. Each side’s image of the other took shape within a long struggle, in which knowledge intertwined with power, religion with civilizational standing, and difference with superiority or fear.
Concise Formulation
The history of the monotheistic religions is tied to the history of mutual domination between the West and the East
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim lies at the heart of the book’s broader argument because it expands the discussion from religion alone to the historical context that produced its representations. Thus, discussion of the three religions is no longer limited to doctrines; it enters the history of domination, exchange, and reciprocal imagery. This is consistent with the book’s aim of reading religions within their shared history.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim lies in the fact that it prevents a naive reading of the relationship between East and West, or among the monotheistic religions. It reminds us that knowledge was never detached from political and cultural power relations. From this perspective, it helps explain Arkoun’s critique of ready-made images of the other, and of the way history produces mutual consciousness.
Brief Evidence
This thesis links the history of the monotheistic religions to the history of mutual domination between the West/Europe and the East. Therefore, the relationship is not understood as an innocent encounter or one detached from politics. Each side’s image of the other took shape within a long struggle in which knowledge intertwined with power and religion with civilizational standing.
Reading Questions
- How does linking the religions to the history of mutual domination change the way we understand the other?
- What does politics add to the reading of relations among religious traditions?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.