A Study of Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Equilibrium Doctrine and Philosophical Narratives Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy by Shereen Hamed Shaw. July, 2015 Department of Philosophy University of Liverpool 7 Abercromby Square Liverpool, L69 7WY © 2015. All rights reserved. 1 For my Mother Hala ‘Abduh Dergham 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Acknowledgement Note on Translation Preface........................................................................................................................................ 9 Translation of Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Equilibrium ...................................................................... 14 Introduction: Background and Influences ......................................................................... 53 I. Arab Existentialism ............................................................................................... 54 II. Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in Egypt .............................................. 64 III. Tawfiq al-Hakim and Others ................................................................................. 75 Chapter One: The Equilibrium Doctrine ............................................................................. 89 I. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 90 II. The Doctrine ......................................................................................................... 94 III. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 102 IV. Summary .............................................................................................................. 107 Chapter Two: Spiritual Imbalance .................................................................................... 109 I. Models of Polarity in Equilibrium ....................................................................... 113 II. A Series of Dualities ............................................................................................ 118 III. Dualities in Philosophical Narratives .................................................................. 127 Chapter Three: The Equilibrium doctrine and Existentialism............................................. 137 I. Existential Characteristics .................................................................................... 138 II. Political Commitment .......................................................................................... 145 III. The issue of Freedom ........................................................................................... 147 IV. Existential Estrangements in al-Hakim’s Pygmalion .......................................... 153 Chapter Four: Criticism ..................................................................................................... 157 I. Philosophy and the Arab mind ............................................................................. 158 II. The Treatment of Women .................................................................................... 162 III. Criticisms ............................................................................................................. 167 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 175 Appendix One ........................................................................................................................ 180 Appendix Two ........................................................................................................................ 196 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 230 3 Figures: Fig. 1. A group photo taken upon the guests’ arrival at Cairo airport Fig. 2. Simone de Beauvoir, Sartre, al-Hakim and Haykal at a local café Fig. 3. Lanzmann, de Beauvoir and Sartre at the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo Fig. 4. Haykal, al-Hakim, Sartre, de Beauvoir and Okasha at the Cairo Opera House Fig. 5. Simone de Beauvoir, Sartre and Lanzmann on a Nile cruise Fig. 6. Simone de Beauvoir, President Nasser and Sartre at Nasser’s Heliopolis residence Fig. 7. A scene from ‘Huis clos’ at Cairo’s Theatre Institute Fig. 8. Sartre giving a public lecture at Cairo University Fig. 9. De Beauvoir and Lanzmann at the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo Fig. 10. A private conversation between de Beauvoir, al-Hakim and Sartre Fig. 11. Egyptian Singer Um Kulthoum, Naguib Mahfouz and Tawfiq al-Hakim Fig. 12. Tawfiq al-Hakim with Naguib Mahfouz and Yusuf Idris Fig. 13. The young al-Hakim with a group of French women Fig. 14. Hand written confession by al-Hakim 4 A Study of Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Equilibrium Doctrine and Philosophical Narratives By Shereen Shaw ABSTRACT Tawfiq al-Hakim is known across the Arab world as a pioneer dramatist. He is one of many misunderstood writers and philosophers. My aim is to introduce him to the English-speaking public in order to shed some light on a specific period known to be one of the best in Egypt intellectually and culturally. Former President Nasser’s ideologies, and those of former President Sadat such as his “open-door” policy to the West, have contributed positively to the forming of an intellectual renaissance in Egypt. This rich period in Egyptian history is one that can directly shed light on the literary and philosophical contributions of al-Hakim, and on the social and cultural issues that should be revisited in order to gain an understanding of the problems that face Egyptians today. With this said, it is my hope that by reviving al-Hakim’s philosophical doctrines and by examining the major issues he addresses in his texts, I will be able to explain and clarify some misconceptions about this author, his philosophy and his work. I would also like to show ways in which his distinctive doctrine of equilibrium can be of use to us both in the East and the West. The objectives, accordingly, are twofold: (1) To introduce and critically examine al-Hakim’s equilibrium doctrine; and, (2) To identify the philosophical traits and Western influences that had an impact on his character and philosophy. The core problem that this work will indirectly address is the problem of how philosophy in the Arab world, according to Sari Nusseibeh’s article “The Arab World: What role for philosophy?” has been blatantly used as a tool in order to defend one version or another of the religious beliefs of those who pursued it. I ask what specific role a philosopher or intellectual can play in his or her society and how his philosophy can be put to use. This question is one that has been long forgotten in the Arab world. Freeing the Arab world from the colonizer, back in the 1930s, was clearly a goal for many intellectuals. Today, freeing the Arab mind by introducing a philosophy or an ideology that can be of use to the Muslim world as well as to the West would be a great task to accomplish. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It goes without saying that I have incurred many debts. I am grateful to my mother, for believing in me and encouraging me at a young age to pursue my studies abroad. I thank my father for his constant support to me over the years. Also, I am in debt to my former supervisor, Professor Gillian Howie, whom I owe thanks to for her guidance and putting inspiring materials in my path. This research would not have been possible without the financial help I received from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor Richard Gaskin, my primary supervisor, for patiently reading over my writing and encouraging me to improve in my weaker areas. My gratitude also goes to Dr Daniel Whistler, my secondary supervisor, for appreciating my research strengths and for his valuable and constructive suggestions during the planning and development of this research. I would like to extend my thanks to Dr Simon Hailwood at the University of Liverpool’s Philosophy Department for his advice and encouragement. Finally, my deep gratitude to Mrs Zeinab al- Hakim (Tawfiq al-Hakim’s daughter) for granting me permission to carry out this research and to her son, Ismail Nabil, for his cooperation in answering my questions and for providing me with personal photos of al-Hakim. 6 NOTE ON TRANSLATION I would like to emphasize that, unless otherwise noted, all translations of Arabic materials throughout this thesis and al-Hakim’s texts are mine. In my analysis, I am relying on the translation of al-Hakim’s book al- Taʿaduliyya (Equilibrium)1 to provide evidence of what I believe to be foreign influences within his proposed doctrine.2 I carried out the translation from Arabic to English in order, first, to revive the work and, secondly, to be able to link the doctrine of equilibrium to some of al-Hakim’s philosophical narratives written from the early 1950s to the late 1960s.3 Thus, as part of my thesis, I am offering the first English translation of al- Hakim’s main book, al- Taʿaduliyya (which I will refer to as Equilibrium throughout this thesis. The book was published in 1955. Equilibrium is important to us today for many reasons. It is not only al-Hakim’s only attempt to compile the essence of his philosophy all in one work, but it is also a work which shows his experimentation with philosophical ideas in a literary framework. I encountered much difficulty in translating al-Hakim’s