Epistemic reconstitution of civilization: family, community and society in Lütfi Bergen’s Medeniyet

Abstract

This article examines the civilizational thought of Lütfi Bergen within contemporary Turkey’s Islamic intellectual field, highlighting his systematic critique of Western epistemological frameworks through the lens of epistemic reconstitution. It identifies a central tension in Bergen’s thought, characterized by the coexistence of a traditionalist stance, emphasizing hierarchical gender roles and moral prescriptions, and a left-leaning critique of neoliberal developmentalism, consumerism, and capitalist modernity. The study offers a critical analysis of Bergen’s writings, revealing how these competing orientations shape his civilizational vision and generate internal contradictions, thus contributing to broader discussions in Islamic political thought and decolonial theory.