The Discourse of Identity and Alienation in “Tair Al Ttum-"The Swan Bird” by Fahmi Jadaan

Abstract

This study examined identity and alienation discourse in “The Swan Bird” by the Palestinian philosopher Fahmi Jadaan. It attempted to reveal the representations of this identity distributed among the exiles and the reflection of this experience in the paths of Jadaan’s life as alluded to it, without neglecting the lines that touched on the Palestinian issue in all of his philosophical works that revolved around the Islamic intellectual experience and the conflict between the religious and political aspects, foundations of progress, debate on heritage and modernity, and other of Jadaan’s extensive concerns.

The study intended to uncover the identity discourse of the writer who experienced the torture of exiles in different regions. It expanded over varied axes that include approaching identity and alienation through the writer’s experience of displacement and exit from Ain Ghazal, relying on what he narrated in his intellectual biography and the transformations in Jadaan’s life, such as his experience in Yarmouk camp, education in Damascus, then the Parisian experience, then the University of Jordan, and his tour of Arab universities, and his tour of the world. The analysis implemented the analytical descriptive approach that sheds light on the studied phenomenon and analyzes its details to conclude a comprehensive vision. As for its methodology, it depended on an insightful reading of the biography, tracking identity and alienation discourse in it, and how it manifested itself in Fahmi Jadaan’s experience.

The study concluded the biography of “The Swan Bird” represents a philosophical, psychological, diagnostic discourse by a philosopher whose experience spanned over eight decades. It was like a tattoo on the forearm of the modern era, in which the elements of intellectual biography were combined, revealing “the self” without falling into the trap of glorification and narcissism, as is common in autobiographies and alter egos, the trap of preaching and directness. Then, it went beyond the limits of subjectivity to trace issues of identity, alienation, and exile and the controversy surrounding them in matters of thought, religion, and politics. This biography went beyond tearful (Karbalai) revelation to action and taking lessons from the events without falling into the trap of preaching and directness.