Kalam studies in French orientalism: Examples of will and politics

This thesis is a general review of the works carried out by French Orientalists in the study of Islamic theology. In order to properly understand these works, it's important to recognise how French Orientalism has developed through different stages in history. As a result, we have briefly gone through the history of French Orientalism in the first part of our analysis. In addition, there is a brief overview of the individuals who have influenced France's Eastern foreign policy and as is well-known, France's colonial past has been reflected in the field of science. It is indeed also necessary to recognise this colonial 'mindset' in understanding these works and studies throughout history. Our study is limited to the period which includes the work of students trained by Louis Massignon. This is the period when precious and comprehensive studies are carried out by French orientalists in the field of kalām. As a consequence, in our thesis, the period when French Orientalism made serious contributions to the science of kalam and was most productive is discussed. In the third and fourth parts, there is significant detail in covering the various areas of study and their multiple sources which have contributed to these works. Examples of these areas include 'will' and 'imamate' and the fact that these French orientalists wrote many articles covering these subjects means that they are considered as important concept. Furthermore, the fact that these areas of study are still relevant and discussed today is another reason which influenced our decision in choosing this topic for analysis. Consequently, we have tried to uncover the many different works of French orientalists in these areas, focusing on their general approach, their applied methods, and their understanding of Islamic theology. At the same time, we have attempted to explain how and where these beliefs have been agreed upon or indeed disputed, as well as identifying alternative theories.