The most well-known spirit possession in Islam is performed through Ζār. The term denotes a form of spirit possession that causes illness, when the spirits descend into a person, and at the same time a healing ritual that incorporates one of the most therapeutic practices. For Ζār, the human body becomes the locus, the mediator and the carrier that embodies the spirit and its culture in daily life. For that reason, Ζār practices break the boundaries of strict medical and psychological interpretations, making their foundation inextricably linked with the way existence is comprehended. Therefore, Ζār constitutes, first and foremost, a cultural practice determined by philosophical and traditional frameworks.

The 1967 war caused great intellectual debates regarding the political situation in the Arab world in general. These debates included a number of issues, covering a wide spectrum of social, political, economic and cultural matters. This article will try to introduce the secular critical approach by the most influential Arab contemporary thinkers regarding the implications and interpretation of the post 1967 war.

Η ιστορία του hijab παρουσιάζει σημαντικές εναλλαγές διανύοντας περιόδους έντονης παρουσίας και περιόδους όπου η χρήση του σπανίζει. Στη σημερινή εποχή, βιώνουμε το φαινόμενο μιας δυναμικής επανεμφάνισης της μαντήλας όχι μόνο στις χώρες του Ισλάμ αλλά και σε αυτές της Δύσης. Η τάση αυτή προκαλεί καχυποψία και δυσφορία κυρίως στις γυναίκες εκείνες οι οποίες έχουν επιλέξει, ένα πιο προοδευτικό τρόπο ισλαμικής ζωής, καθώς δεν συμμερίζονται την άποψη ότι η μαντήλα είναι σύμβολο ευσέβειας ή αφοσίωσης στο Θεό, αντίθετα συμβολίζει την καταπίεση, την υποβάθμιση της γυναίκας, τη θρησκευτική κατωτερότητα.

Boualem Sansal belongs to a generation of Algerian writers who, three decades after Algerian Independence, denounce the drift of the sociopolitical and economic system in their country that  “leaves less and less room for illusions” (Bonn, et al.: 1997 : 206). Gradually, for certain authors, who are steadily growing in number, “referential writing is supplanting formalism” as Jean-Marc Moura noted (2007: 155). The bloody current topicality of the ‘90s thus inspired Algerian authors like Rachid Mimouni and Rachid Boudjedra to courageously bear witness in a literature firmly rooted in reality. By the last decade of the 20th century, the country had ceased being a model of third-world socialism, nationalism had eroded and the absence of hope compelled increasingly more members of the younger generation to go into self-imposed exile.

Authors: Evangelos Diamantopoulos, Costas Faropoulos, Maria Kourpa, Iris Pappa, Charitini Petrodaskalaki, Aliki Sofianou

Authors: Evangelos Diamantopoulos, Costas Faropoulos, Iris Pappa, Charitini Petrodaskalaki, Aliki Sofianou