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Jacques Berque and the Academy: Islam and the West

Countering the arguments of Elie Kedourie and Martin Kramer, this paper argues that Jacques Berque's third worldism did not represent a personal ‘revolt’ against his own heritage. An examination of his memoirs shows that criticisms of his life and scholarship are not historically grounded. In politics Berque called for dialogue and interaction, not a political or philosophical rupture between cultures. His research revealed the divergent perspectives of social groups in colonial settings – ethnic, religious, as well as diverse classes and national communities. To do so he immersed himself in Arab and Islamic cultures. This method brought with it controversy because opinion on Arab and Muslim society was sharply divided throughout the twentieth century. The controversy has not substantially changed since the colonial era, when Orientalists negated Arabs while nativists bemoaned the Western assault upon other cultures. Yet, Berque's life and work suggests something different. As he said, his life was spent between two shores – between Africa and Europe, Islam and the West.