Al-Huwiyya The “I” Is a “He

Abstract

Thinking about self-consciousness, or the “I,” first requires an analysis of the ideology of personhood within which the individual is embedded. It also calls for an examination of both our intellectual heritage and the delicate issue of transferring concepts from one semantic field to another. We commonly translate the concept of identity into Arabic as al-huwiyya (الهوية). In French, the term identity foregrounds an essential idea that constitutes the foundation of self-consciousness. Identity refers to the assumption of a separate and distinct entity, characterized by singular individuality. In the Arabic semantic field, however, identity is articulated in relation to its opposite—otherness. The etymology of al-huwiyya derives from the personal pronoun huwa (هو), meaning “هو,” which gives the concept a distinct linguistic and philosophical resonance within the Arabic intellectual tradition.