The Metaphysical Universe of Michel ʿAflaq and His Party: A Reappraisal of the Baʿth

Abstract

This article offers a reassessment of Arab Socialist Ba'th Party founder Michel 'Aflaq's thought in the context of decolonization and global intellectual history. Engaging with 'Aflaq's thinking in terms of its metaphysical foundations and its relationship to universality, this work examines four key concepts in his oeuvre: resurrection (ba'th), faith (Imān), spirit (rūh), and unity (wahda). In essence, 'Aflaq's metaphysics links the Arab nation with the past while his universalist aspirations open the way forward for the future. While numerous scholars in recent years have explicated the universal ambitions of anticolonial nationalists, the place of Arab nationalists and their relationship to decolonization are in need of greater scholarly attention. In turn, I argue that 'Aflaq's ambition of national resurrection ought to be understood as such a quest to realize the universal.