The Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Studies of the Islamic East

Abstract

The article is devoted to problems of interdisciplinary collaboration in the studies of the Islamic East. Islamic scholars studying Muslim thought, like specialists in other fields of history of philosophy, should consider cultural and historical context of the research subject. Moreover, consideration of this context depends on scientists’ own ideas about the nature of society and factors of its development, as well as their approaches to history. There exist already many different theories of historical development as a whole and of the Islamic East in particular. The author suggests that a mechanism is required in order to protect Islamic Studies from “entity multiplication” performed for a merely speculative result. First, such a mechanism is the opinion of the professional community of historians. Second, the effectiveness of the study
of Muslim thought in the classical period depends on the interdisciplinary cooperation and interaction of historians and philosophers as well as political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, etc.