The sixth Arab Science Fiction Literature Forum began today, Tuesday, in the lecture hall of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University, with the participation of researchers and thinkers from several Arab countries, both in person and remotely.
The forum will last for two days, in collaboration between the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University, the Syrian Writers Union, the Arab Historians Union under the Arab League, and the Arab Science Fiction Writers Association, under the theme "Science Fiction Literature.. and Foreseeing the Future."
Science Fiction and the Making of Awareness
Deputy President of Damascus University, Dr. Ahmed al-Khadr, emphasized in a speech delivered at the opening of the forum that science fiction has always been the first sign of science and a tool for making awareness and foreseeing future transformations, noting that many scientific and technological achievements began as ideas imagined by writers before becoming reality.
Al-Khadr pointed to the Arab roots of this literature, citing the works of Lucian of Samosata, Ibn Tufayl's Hayy ibn Yaqzan, and Ibn al-Nafis's Theologus Autodidactus, and the visions they contain that call for research into their connection with foreseeing the future.
He clarified that the forum's axes address the impact of cybersecurity, energy, genetics, and robotics on literary narrative, and the role of Arab feminist writing and translation in exchanging future visions, with the participation of researchers from Egypt, Palestine, and Tunisia.
Drawing Inspiration from Heritage and Building Upon It
Dr. Ammar al-Nahar, representing the scientific committee of the forum, spoke in a similar address about the presence of science fiction literature, which has become an intellectual tool for foreseeing the future and reading human transformations and challenges, especially in the fields of cybersecurity, energy, and genetics.
He noted that the committee selected research that combined the authenticity of Arab scientific heritage with contemporaneity, and paused at a phenomenon where some visions that appeared in cinematic films have been realized, reflecting the importance of foreseeing scientific and technological developments.
He called for re-reading Arab scientific heritage, delving into its sources, and building on the ideas of Arab scientists and thinkers, recalling pioneers of this literature among them the Egyptian writer Nihad Sharif, the Tunisian writer Al-Hadi Thabit, and the Syrian writer Lina Kilani.
Foreseeing Visions in Heritage
For his part, Dr. Muhammad Jasim Hamadani al-Mashhadani, Secretary-General of the Arab Historians Union in Baghdad and Dean of the Institute of Arab History and Scientific Heritage for Postgraduate Studies, emphasized the importance of returning to Arab scientific heritage and studying the ideas and visions presented by its scholars, which can be researched for their connection to the history of science fiction.
He pointed to ideas attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan regarding spontaneous generation, and to a manuscript he said dates back to the 8th century AH, which includes a vision for cloning a complete human being, explaining that he published it through the Egyptian General Book Authority.
He called for delving into the study of these sources and building on the ideas they contain, which contributes to enriching the Arab science fiction library and enhancing scientific and cultural research.
Enhancing Knowledge Production
In an interview with SANA, President of the Arab Writers Union, Dr. Ahmad Jasim al-Hussein, said: "The forum comes within the framework of the Union's openness to cooperation with academic and research institutions, foremost among them Damascus University and entities concerned with science fiction, which allows discussing questions of the present and its transformations and their repercussions on this literature."
Al-Hussein pointed out that the diversity of Arab participation is a positive indicator of the possibility of Syria regaining its role in knowledge production, noting the Union's trend towards enhancing knowledge production instead of contenting itself with producing ideology.
Today's forum sessions address theoretical transformations in science fiction literature, images of utopia and dystopia, and foreseeing the future in Arabic writing, along with the experiences of Arab women writers in imagining the future and the presence of realism in this literature.
The sessions also explore the use of modern sciences, including space, genetics, robotics, cybersecurity, and energy, in building scientific narrative, as well as children's literature, the relationship between the original text and translation, and their role in expanding the horizons of science fiction literature.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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