No Exit: Arab Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Decolonization

372 Pages·2018·2.4 MB·English

by  Yoav Di-Capua

No Exit

No Exit
Arab Existentialism, Jean- Paul Sartre,
and Decolonization
YOAV DI- CAPUA
The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2018 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except
in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.
For more information, contact the University of Chicago Press,
1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
Published 2018
Printed in the United States of America
27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN-1 3: 978- 0-2 26- 49974- 1 (cloth)
ISBN-1 3: 978- 0-2 26-5 0350-9 (paper)
ISBN-1 3: 978- 0-2 26- 49988- 8 (e- book)
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226499888.001.0001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Di-Capua, Yoav, 1970– author.
Title: No exit : Arab existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, and
decolonization / Yoav Di-Capua.
Description: Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017043645 | ISBN 9780226499741
(cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780226503509 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780226499888 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Existentialism. | Philosophy—Arab countries—
20th century. | Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905–1980—Appreciation—Arab
countries. | Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905–1980—Infl uence. | Badawˉı,
ʿAbd al-Rah.maˉn. | Decolonization—Arab countries.
Classifi cation: LCC B5295 .D54 2018 | DDC 181—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017043645
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992
(Permanence of Paper).
To my family

Contents
Note on Transliteration ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 The Visit 26
2 Why Existentialism? 47
3 Commitment 77
4 Meet the State 108
5 Unfreedom’s Counterculture 131
6 A Beachhead in the Sixties 152
7 Toward Universal Emancipation 170
8 High Hopes 197
9 Fiasco 229
Epilogue: A Cosmic No Exit 250
Notes 261 Selected Translations 317
Bibliography 321 Index 341

Note on Transliteration
In the interest of simplifying the reading, I have used a
modifi ed version of the transliteration system of the Inter-
national Journal of Middle East Studies, excluding diacritical
marks except for the ʿayn ( ʿ ) and the hamza ( ʾ ). For names
and terms that have a common transliteration in English
(e.g., Gamal ʿAbd al-N asser), I have used that spelling.
ix