Why Are The Arabs Not Free?

Moustapha Safouan, in this courageous and honest book, confronts head-on the problem of Arab despotism, examining it from the point of view of political philosophy, religious argument and linguistic history. A ground-breaking book written by the eminent Lacanian psychoanalyst Moustapha Safouan. Rejects explanations of Arab despotism which appeal either to imperialism or to notions of Arab culture in favour of an analysis which focuses on the relations between writing and power. Investigates the divorce between the classical Arabic which is the medium of education and the diverse vernacular Arabics which are the languages of the streets. A tour de force of political philosophy, religious argument and linguistic history.

Foreword by Colin MacCabe ix Acknowledgements viii Introduction 1 1 Components of Western Dominance 13 2 Questions that Have Been Forgotten in our Political Philosophy 27 3 Creative Transmission and Stagnant Transmission: Culture and Power 35 4 People and Writers 47 5 The Role of Language in the Creation of Culture 57 6 Writing and Power 67 7 The Fraud of the Islamic State 87 Further Reading 99 Index 103