Decolonizing Western Islam Studies: Addressing colonial legacies, power imbalances, and fostering global scholarly collaboration
Original framing: “John Esposito transformed how the West understood Islam” — Al Jazeera
The legacy of Orientalism dates back to the 19th‑century colonial enterprises that codified 'Islam' as an object of Western study, a pattern that persists in contemporary funding and citation practices. Historical parallels with the decolonization of African studies reveal similar trajectories of reclaiming agency.
John Esposito's legacy cannot be isolated from the colonial scaffolding that has long shaped Western Islam studies; his impact is intertwined with systemic power imbalances that privilege Euro‑centric epistemologies.
By foregrounding indigenous scholarship, historical continuities of Orientalism, and cross‑cultural knowledge, we reveal a network of actors—from university boards to publishing houses—that sustain exclusionary practices. The trickster reading destabilizes the hero narrative, exposing how singular accolades conceal collective labor and entrenched hierarchies. Implementing decolonized curricula, transnational consortia, open‑access platforms, and equitable publication norms can reconfigure the field toward a genuinely inclusive, pluralistic future.