Master of Arts in Contemporary Islamic Studies

"This paper deals with the intellectual and methodological effort exerted by Malek Bennabi to construct a distinct perspective to approach the Western phenomenon and handles the theoretical framework that Malek Bennabi developed to know the West, along with his contribution to the construction of the Jurisprudence of Occidentalism. Thus he set the foundations of an interactive and balanced methodology in dealing with the West, a school characterized by its methodical analysis and renewal of vision in addressing the concerns of the modern

The paper seeks to address the thought revival of Malek Bennabi by focusing on the centrality of the concept of historical and social norms in the intellectual project of civilization. It also emphasizes norms and related concepts, which helps us to understand the regeneration mechanisms expressing the essence of the original book written by Bennabi.

Malek Bennabi did not present ready-made methods for the Arab and Islamic nation to overcome its crisis, nor did he stand with those who call for transfer without inquiry about the identity of the transferor. However, Bennabi urged in his diverse articles for the necessity of knowing the modern civilization and tried to emphasize the similarity and difference between the religious, political, economic, and cultural history of the East and the West. Consequently, he stepped forward toward rationality of the Arab ego in its relations with the western other.

Renaissance, both conceptually and practically, is a constructive but complex social process. In the progress and development of any civilization, the process of renaissance is profoundly important. And, in case, if any civilization or nation is devoid of that ‘intrinsic capacity’ to allow the structural elements of renaissance to operate, then there is no other ‘social force’ that would resist enduring the decadence of that civilization or nation.

This study, which is theoretical-empirically oriented, aims to drill around the representations of the Algerian university elite university professors and postgraduate students (Masters and PhDs), i.e. those who are interested in his thought or who have read his writings and intellectual projects, and carried out academic studies and research, either in the form of dissertations or studies. The study attempts to answer the following questions: To what extent did the elite of Algerian universities look at the intellectual project presented by the book, The Conditions of the Renaissance?