Leaving the Door Ajar: An Interview with Fadi A. Bardawil

Abstract

This interview explores Fadi A. Bardawil’s general intellectual trajectory and the philosophical and methodological theses in his recently published book Revolution and Disenchantment: Arab Marxism and the Binds of Emancipation. The interview explores themes such as the withdrawal from political militancy, the relationship between theory and praxis, the tension between immanent and external forms of critique, and the paradoxes of emancipation, among others. Bardawil insists on an understanding of Arab Marxism that neither takes its subject for granted nor condemns those who exit its tradition. The interview is prefaced by a short introductory book review that situates the themes of the ensuing discussion.