Rethinking Jacques Derrida’s Deconstruction and its Relevance to the Study of Islam
Abstract
This article examines Jacques Derrida’s concept of deconstruction and its implementation in the context of contemporary Islamic studies. Philosophically, the status of texts should not be regarded merely as writing because the meaning goes beyond the lexicogrammatical boundaries. Hence, scrutinizing ways to unveil hidden meanings possibly entail subjective or partial values embedded in the texts, particularly religious texts pertinent to Islamic civilization (turāth). Based on the philosophical analysis of the Derrida’s work, this study shows that there are at least two points of the relevance of the Derrida's philosophical thought to deconstruct the turāth and the Western domination in Muslim society. First, it is a useful device to criticise and deconstruct religious thoughts and texts, which are, to some extent, still dominant and considered sacred. These cover a wide range of Islamic texts that build Islamic civilization, from mysticism, law to theology. The second dimension is dismantling the context (today Muslim civilization) through decentralization of the Western hegemony and promotion of Occidentalism, a way of seeing the West from the East.
Downloads
References
Al-Hamdi, Ridho. “Hassan Hanafi’s Epistemology on Occidentalism: Dismantling Western Superiority, Constructing Equal Civilization.” Epistemé: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Keislaman 14, no. 1 (June 15, 2019): 75–108.
Almond, Ian. Sufism and Deconstruction: A Comparative Study of Derrida and Ibn ‘Arabi. London and New York: Routledge, 2014.
Awuy, Tommy F. “Dekonstruksi: Postmodern Dan Poststrukturalis.” In Postmodernisme dan Masa Depan Peradaban, edited by Suyoto et.al. Yogyakarta: Aditiya Media, 1994.
Beilharz, Peter, ed. Teori-Teori Sosial: Observasi Kritis Terhadap Para Filsuf Terkemuka. Translated by Sigit Jatmiko. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2002.
Bennett, Tony. Culture, Ideology and Social Process: A Reader. London: Batsford Academic and Educational in association with the Open University Press, 1981.
Bertens, K. Filsafat Barat Kontemporer Prancis. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2001.
Burhanuddin, Afid, and Siti Muthmainnah. “Derrida: Biografi dan Pemikiran.” Afid Burhanuddin, September 21, 2013. Accessed March 10, 2019. https://afidburhanuddin.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/derrida-biografi-dan-pemikiran/.
Culler, Jonathan. On Deconstruction: Theory and Criticism after Structuralism. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983.
Derrida, Jacques. Margin of Philosophy. Brighton: Hasvester Press, 1982.
———. Position. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
Derrida, Jacques, Mustapha Cherif, Teresa Lavender Fagan, and Giovanna Borradori. Islam and the West: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory, an Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell, 1987.
Feriyadi, Feriyadi, and Syamsul Hadi. “Hassan Hanafi’s Response to Western Hegemony in Muqaddimah Fī ‘Ilmi Al-Istighrāb Through Hegemony Theory of Gramsci.” IJISH (International Journal of Islamic Studies and Humanities) 1, no. 1 (April 7, 2018): 47–56. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/ijish/article/view/133.
Hanafī, Hasan. Muqaddima fi ‘Ilm al Istighrab. Beirut: al-Hamra’, 1992.
———. Oksidentalisme: Sikap Kita terhadap Barat. Translated by M. Najib Buchori. Jakarta: Paramadina, 2000.
Heidegger, Martin. The Basic Problem of Phenomenology. Translated by Hofstadter. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982.
Hidayat, Komaruddin. Tragedy Raja Midas: Moralitas Agama dan Krisis Modernisme. Jakarta: Paramadina, 1998.
al-Na’im, Abdullah Ahmed. Dekonstruksi Syari’ah: Wacana Kebebasan Sipil, Hak Asasi Manusia, dan Hubungan Internasional dalam Islam. Translated by Ahmad Suaedy and Amiruddin Arrani. Yogyakarta: LKiS in cooperation with Pustaka Pelajar, 1994.
al-Jabiri, Mohammed Abed. The Formation of Arab Reason: Text, Tradition and the Construction of Modernity in the Arab World. London: I.B. Tauris, 2011.
Jarry, David, and Julia Jary. The Harpercollins Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Harpercollins Publishers, 1991.
Johnson, Allan G. The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: User’s Guide to Sociological Language. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.
Madjid et.al., Nurcholish. Dekonstruksi Islam Mazhab Ciputat. Edited by Edy A. Effendy. Bandung: Zaman Wacana Mulia, 1999.
Mudhofir, Ali. Kamus Filsuf Barat. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2001.
Norris, Christopher. The Truth About Postmodernism. Oxford-Cambridge: Blackwell, 1993.
Said, Edward W. “Nationalism, Human Right, and Interpretation.” In Freedom and Interpretation: The Oxford Amnesty Lectures, edited by Barbara Johnson, 186–188. New York: Basic Books, 1993.
Sugiharto, I. Bambang. Postmodernisme: Tantangan bagi Filsafat. Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 1996.
Tahir, Masnun. “Studi Hukum Kritis Dalam Kajian Hukum Islam.” Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam 13, no. 2 (2014): 202–214. https://www.neliti.com/publications/41832/studi-hukum-kritis-dalam-kajian-hukum-islam.
Urmson, J.O. The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers. Canada: Western University, Canada, 1975.
Usher, Robin, and Richard Edward. Postmodernism and Education. London and New York: Routledge, 1994.
Varisco, Daniel Martin. Reading Orientalism: Said and the Unsaid. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2007.
Copyright (c) 2019 Ulumuna
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
