Sufism and Politics on María Zambrano

Abstract

We offer an interpretation of María Zambrano’s political philosophy from the Sufism of Ibn ʿArabī. First, we will explain three central notions in the work of the Šayḫ, such as the double fidelity to the dimension of “incomparability” (tanzīh) and “similarity” (tašbīh), the “new creation” (ḫalq al-ǧadīd) and “the perfect man” (insān al-kāmil). Second, we will deal with some of Zambrano’s more political texts, such as Horizonte del liberalismo (1929), Isla de Puerto Rico (1940), “Martí, camino de su muerte” (1953) and Persona y democracia (1958). As we shall see, the ontological, epistemological and anthropological framework of the Andalusian master allows us to delve deeper into the mystical meaning of Zambrano’s political discourse.