Who Defines Islam? Critical Perspectives on Islamic Studies

Abstract

This paper endeavors to answer the question of who defines Islam as an academic discipline. Firstly, it discusses the epistemic authority of producers and transmitters of knowledge about Islam. It is argued here that, despite modernization, religious scholars and learning centers in the Muslim world still define, to a certain extent, the main curriculum of texts and interpretations of the Muslim tradition within the discipline of Islamic studies. Furthermore, Western scholars of Islamic studies must navigate between the demands of politics and identity, which put pressure on the discipline. Secondly, this article maps the major models and approaches of Islamic studies at work today. In particular, this section highlights the diversity of research norms and practices in Europe. Finally, multiple critiques produced by decolonial, historicist, and theological views within the field of Islamic studies are shown to be complementary rather than exclusivist.