Triple Critique: Critical Epistemology and Islamic Studies in Europe

Drawing on the idea of multiple critiques, this article explores the potential of a critical epistemology for studying Islam in Europe. It first recognizes the de facto variety of paradigms that produce and disseminate knowledge about Islam in Europe, which resulted from various historical and sociological dy-namics, both in Europe and the Muslim world. The first section of this article, thus, will be dedicated to mapping the multiplicity of research practices and discourses of Islamic studies as an academic discipline hosted in European universities. Next, we will make the case that in order to overcome the traps that Islamic studies face in Europe, a triple critique grounded in post-tradi-tionalism, post-orientalism, and post-Islamism is required. That is, research-ers need to challenge the epistemological tools of the dominating paradigms in Islamic studies (traditionalism, orientalism, and Islamism), conduct self-criticism, and bypass the limitations of ideology, political interest, and self-righteousness. Lastly, we will examine the notion of umma as understood by these paradigms and show the possibilities of a threefold critique in fostering a critical epistemology of Islamic Studies in Europe and beyond.