A cultural workshop on Sufism and the Analysis of Its Psychological Dimensions held by the Continuing Education Unit in cooperation with the Department of English.
As part of efforts to foster awareness and improve positive social interaction within educational institutions, the Continuing Education Unit, in collaboration with the Department of English at the College of Education for the Humanities, held a cultural workshop titled “Sufism: A Critical Psychological Analysis in The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak”, delivered by Lecturer Samira Atshan Al-Fayyadh.
The workshop, attended by the Head of the Departmentof English, Asst. Prof. Dheyaa Khaleel Nayel, alongside several faculty members and evening-program fourth-year students, sought to initiate dialogue around the concept of Sufism in both its traditional and modern forms—within the framework of the inner and outer dimensions—as a notion intertwined with spirituality, love, and asceticism.
The session addressed Sufism as an ideology within the novel, exploring its various representations through differing perspectives. The novel’s portrayal of Sufism and divine love across two historical eras, as well as the inter-religious conflicts and divergent viewpoints, was interpreted using selected psychological and critical theories.
