Hichem Djaït and the Foundations for Arab Enlightenment

Abstract

The study explores aspects of the ‘spirit of enlightenment’ in the works of Hichem Djaït, considering them an essential foundation for an Arab enlightenment. The strength of this foundation lies in the positive and critical interaction of Djaït’s works with the intellectual and social legacy of enlightenment in addition to his evocation of contemporary issues in culture and society. Djaït learned the necessity of adventure from the enlightened critical spirit. He accepts the possibility of salvation but does not disregard the greater contradiction between God and the world, eternity and finitude. He successfully constructs his intellectual and historical perceptions with rigorous precaution, refusing to adopt easy solutions. In many of his works, he seeks to understand the religious language of the absolute as part of the world history as navigated by all kinds of humans, in order to understand the different dimensions of humanity and the world.