ABSTRACT
In this chapter we examine the idea of acquiring and having colonial identities, and this is exemplified in the first instance by a genealogical account of Islam–Judaism relations. This is a history of difference, of the different ways that the relationship between Islamic and Jewish people can be understood over time, and of the different meanings that we can give to the notions of being a Muslim and a Jew. These are traces of different orders and conceptualisations adopted by people during their lifetimes. We might want to call them Weltanschauungs, or universal-views, held by a community in place and time – discursive configurations that are in history. Having said that, it is important not to overvalue and thus exaggerate the efficacy of the properties of these historical configurations, and especially the property of absolute reach or ambit.
