“Our Heritage is the Universe” Fragments of a Discourse on Forgetting

Volume 10- المجلد التاسع (2020)|Issue 33| Summer 2020 |Articles

Abstract

This paper discusses the relationship established by contemporary Arab thought with heritage, deconstructing its ideological dimensions and highlighting its limitations. The research begins with a discussion of forgetting in Western discourse, especially in the fields of history, philosophy and memory studies, focusing in particular on Nietzsche's "second consideration" and arguing in favour of the duty of forgetting in every context governed by a hypertrophy of memory or what Nietzsche calls "historical fever". The study then delves into the discussion of the various understandings of Islamic heritage in the contemporary Arab context, concluding that – whatever their different approaches and origins – they all serve to project past conflicts onto the present, and vice versa. This represents an obstacle to being in step with the contemporary world and keeping up with the great strides made by modernity.

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