Self and Others in the English Translation of Taha Hussein’s Al-Ayyām (The Days): A Posthumanist Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores the construction of self and others in the English translation of Taha Hussein's Al-Ayyām (The Days), a trilogy: An Egyptian Childhood, The Stream of Days, and A Passage to France. Adopting a posthumanist approach, the paper closely examines the self and others, focusing on how people with disabilities perceive themselves in relation to the non-disabled, and explores themes of relationships and social interaction. Hence, the key aim of posthumanism is to challenge the negative view of disability. In this way, the study seeks to reread Al-Ayyām from a posthumanist perspective. Additionally, it aims to explore how Hussein echoes the voices of blind people in his autobiography. From an analytical perspective, the present research reveals how Hussein presents the views of blind individuals to enable non-disabled readers to comprehend their beliefs, challenges, lived experiences, and worldviews. The study also finds that the English translation mediates and reperforms Hussein's subjective voice on behalf of Anglophone readers in cross-cultural contexts. The paper emphasizes the potential of uniting humanities methods to offer new insights into the intersection of identity and posthumanist philosophy.