Jung/Orientalists, 1. The Problem

Describes the shortcomings and dangers inherent the commonly-held view of the Muslim religion as being a holistic unity of social, political, cultural and economic institutions. Explains how, by leaving behind the increasingly circular debate between essentialist and constructivist conceptualizations of true Islam, this book investigates the origin, spread, and conflictive potential of a historically particular but extremely influential modern image of Islam and how this study is organized around the following core question: Why do orientalists and Islamists similarly define Islam as an all-encompassing religious, political and social system?