Mohammed Arkoun

Mohammed Arkoun (1928-2010) was an Islamist and philosopher of Berber origin. Born in Algeria, he studied at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Algiers and then at the Sorbonne in Paris, where in 1968 he obtained a doctorate in Arabic Language and Literature. He was the editor of the magazine Arabica and author of numerous volumes including: Rethinking Islam (Boulder, 1994), L'immigration: défis et richesses (Paris, 1988) and The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought (London, 2002). In July 1996 he was decorated by France with the Legion of Honour, while in 2001 he was awarded the 17th Giorgio Levi of the Vida Award for his contribution to Islamic studies throughout his career. He conducted a series of studies on the historian and philosopher Miskawayh, and then devoted himself to the processes of modernisation of the Islamic world. He taught at several universities, was professor emeritus at the Sorbonne and directeur des récherche and member of the Board of Directors of the Institut for Ismaili Studies in London. He died in Paris at the age of 82 of liver cancer.