Islamization of Knowledge – Symptom of the Failed Internationalization of the Social Sciences?

The internationalization of the social sciences, understood as the increasing circulation of people, ideas and materials, has been accompanied by critiques of material and power differentials and of theoretical and epistemological Eurocentrism. Within this context of debate, Islamization of knowledge (IOK) appears as an alternative epistemology. After a brief historical account of IOK’s international institutionalization, the paper focuses on one key institution, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), where interviews were conducted with key protagonists of IOK. Analyses of these interviews reveal that IOK has been symptomatic of the failed aspects of the internationalization of the social sciences. To overcome the current state of affairs, proponents suggest three different projects for universalization of the social sciences. The paper concludes with a critical appraisal of these projects’ significance for sociology and hints at potential epistemological fractures within the discipline.