The Legacy of Henry Corbin: “The Orientalist” to premiere in Tehran

"...the Imagination (or love, or sympathy, or any other sentiment) induces knowledge, and knowledge of an 'object' which is proper to it..."

Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a scholar, philosopher and theologian. He was a champion of the transformative power of the Imagination and of the transcendent reality of the individual in a world threatened by totalitarianisms of all kinds. One of the 20th century’s most prolific scholars of Islamic mysticism, Corbin was Professor of Islam & Islamic Philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Teheran. He was a major figure at the Eranos Conferences in Switzerland. He introduced the concept of the mundus imaginalis into contemporary thought. His work has provided a foundation for archetypal psychology as developed by James Hillman and influenced countless poets and artists worldwide. But Corbin’s central project was to provide a framework for understanding the unity of the religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His great work Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a classic initiatory text of visionary spirituality that transcends the tragic divisions among the three great monotheisms. Corbin’s life was devoted to the struggle to free the religious imagination from fundamentalisms of every kind. His work marks a watershed in our understanding of the religions of the West and makes a profound contribution to the study of the place of the imagination in human life.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

“The Orientalist” to premiere in Tehran

TEHRAN – Iranian director Masud Taheri’s documentary “The Orientalist” about French philosopher, theologian and orientalist Henry Corbin, will premiere at Eyvan Shams Hall in Tehran on Monday.

Produced by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center, the film is a sequel to Taheri’s 2017 documentary “The Eastern” about Japanese expert on Islam Toshihiko Izutsu.

Moreover, “The Orientalist” will be reviewed during a session at the National Library and Archives of Iran on Tuesday.

Scholars Enshallah Rahmati, Ehsan Shariati and Reza Kuhkan are scheduled to deliver speeches during the session.

Corbin (1903-1978) was a philosopher, theologian, Iranologist and professor of Islamic Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. He was the author of “En Islam Iranien” (Islam in Iran).

Photo: A poster for Iranian director Masud Taheri’s documentary “The Orientalist” about French scholar Henry Corbin.

ABU/MMS/YAW

Teheran Times, Jan 25, 2020