In contemporary Arab-Islamic philosophy there is increasing interest in the criticism of conceptions of culture and identity. The paradigms of these criticisms can be studied in an exemplary way in the works of the Moroccan philosopher Mohammed 'Abid al-Garibi. They reflect the close relationship between the problem of identity and the question of the »heritage« of Arab-islamic philosophy. The topics discussed include al-Garibi's rejection of the ahistorical interpretations of the religious, orientalistic, and Marxist Salafiyya and the extent to which his (...) criticism of these intellectual currents is based upon a rational revival of the critique of Arab-islamic culture. Finally, the essay considers the basic ideas of a critique of »arabic reason« and its reformulation of Rationalism and seeks to show that al-Gabiri's return to Averroes opens up a new way out of the intellectual crisis in Arab-islamic societies. (shrink)