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Freedom of Conscience: History of a Notion and a Right
Published in 2020 by Presses universitaires de Rennes, La liberté de conscience. Histoire d’une notion et d’un droit is the landmark work of Dominique Avon, Director of Studies at the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE, Paris) and Deputy Director of the European Institute of Religious Sciences (IESR).
The book traces the emergence of freedom of conscience as a philosophical, theological, and legal notion, from late antiquity to contemporary debates. A significant part of the analysis is devoted to the way this notion articulates with classical and contemporary Islamic thought, particularly in states with a Muslim reference where the right to change religion remains a sticking point. The author draws on Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and secular sources to offer a comparative genealogy of individual conscience and its legal protection.
The work was translated into Arabic in 2025 by Afif Bouni under the title ḥurriyyat al-ḍamīr (Yafa editions, 301 pp.), a sign of the international scope of the subject in the Arabic-speaking world. The book received the Bonnefous Prize from the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques and was named one of the 30 best books of 2020 by Le Monde des Livres.
Publié en 2020 aux Presses universitaires de Rennes, La liberté de conscience. Histoire d’une notion et d’un droit est l’ouvrage de référence de Dominique Avon, directeur d’études à l’École pratique des hautes études (EPHE, Paris) et directeur adjoint de l’Institut européen en sciences des religions (IESR).
L’ouvrage retrace l’émergence de la liberté de conscience comme notion philosophique, théologique et juridique, depuis l’Antiquité tardive jusqu’aux enjeux contemporains. Une part importante de l’analyse porte sur la manière dont cette notion s’articule avec la pensée islamique classique et contemporaine, en particulier dans les États à référence musulmane où le droit de changer de religion demeure un point d’achoppement. L’auteur croise sources chrétiennes, musulmanes, juives et laïques pour proposer une généalogie comparée de la conscience individuelle et de sa protection juridique.
L’ouvrage a été traduit en arabe en 2025 par Afif Bouni sous le titre ḥurriyyat al-ḍamīr (éditions Yafa, 301 p.), signe de la portée internationale du sujet dans le monde arabophone.
صدر عام 2020 عن « مطبعة جامعة رين » (PUR) كتاب La liberté de conscience. Histoire d’une notion et d’un droit، وهو المرجع الأساسي لـدومينيك آفون، مدير الدراسات في المدرسة العملية للدراسات العليا (EPHE، باريس)، ونائب مدير المعهد الأوروبي لعلوم الأديان (IESR).
يتتبّع الكتاب انبثاق حرية الضمير بوصفها مفهومًا فلسفيًا ولاهوتيًا وقانونيًا، من العصور القديمة المتأخّرة إلى الرهانات الراهنة. ويُخصَّص جزءٌ كبيرٌ من التحليل للطريقة التي تتمفصل بها هذه المسألة مع الفكر الإسلامي الكلاسيكي والمعاصر، ولا سيما في الدول ذات المرجعية الإسلامية حيث يبقى الحقُّ في تغيير الدين إشكاليةً مستمرّة. ويجمع المؤلّف مصادر مسيحيّة وإسلاميّة ويهوديّة وعلمانيّة، ليقدّم علمَ أنساب مقارَنٍ للضمير الفردي وحمايته القانونيّة.
وقد تُرجم الكتاب إلى العربية سنة 2025 على يد عفيف بوني تحت عنوان حرية الضمير (دار يافا، 301 ص)، ممّا يدلّ على المدى الدوليّ للموضوع في العالم العربي. حاز الكتابُ جائزة Bonnefous من الأكاديمية الفرنسية للعلوم الأخلاقية والسياسية، واختارته صحيفة Le Monde des Livres ضمن أفضل ثلاثين كتابًا لعام 2020.
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