On Ali Shari’ati: A ’revolutionary’ sociologist?

Abstract

The essay selectively analyzes the political philosophy of Ali Shari’ati whose ideas have been compared to Catholic Liberation Theology. Shari’ati develops an extensive analysis and critique of Western philosophy as well as Christianity, and proposes –as a ‘revolutionary’ sociologist (of Islam) - to reconstruct the Islamic polity, ideology and consciousness. Nonetheless, because he develops a non-autonomous sphere of action and thought for religion and philosophy, it is argued here that Shari’ati, despite his radical interpretations, engrossing analyses and even critical stand, still remains within the boundaries of his own civilizational consciousness and fails to bring about an originally revolutionary view to ‘(wo)man in relation to (her)his polity’. In this context, his worldview ends up with a political proposal –regardless of whatever depth its philosophy attains- not too different from other variants of political Islam.