HomeThinking from the Dual – Ontology, Theology and the Humanities through the Lens of the “Muthannā”

Thinking from the Dual – Ontology, Theology and the Humanities through the Lens of the “Muthannā”

Penser depuis le duel – Ontologie, théologie et humanités à l’épreuve du « muthannā »

التفكير انطلاقًا من المثنّى -الأنطولوجيا واللاهوت والعلوم الإنسانيّة في أفق المثنّى

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Published on Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Abstract

This international conference explores the philosophical and theological implications of the Arabic grammatical dual (al-muthannā). Situated between the paradigms of unity and multiplicity that have long structured philosophical thought, the dual offers a distinctive relational structure in which two terms are held together without fusion or hierarchy. Taking this linguistic form as a conceptual starting point, the conference investigates the possibility of thinking relation itself as originary. Particular attention will be given to the concept of ʿahd (covenant, pact, commitment) as a relational event in Islamic theology and beyond. Bringing together philosophers, theologians, and scholars from the humanities and social sciences, the conference seeks to open a field of inquiry devoted to the ontological, theological, and anthropological significance of the dual in contemporary thought.

Announcement

University of Lorraine – Metz

October 13–14, 2026

Overview

Contemporary thought remains largely structured by two dominant paradigms: that of foundational unity, which seeks in the archē the original principle of intelligibility, and that of multiplicity, which replaces unity with a play of differences, oppositions, or changes. Between monism and pluralism, the two has rarely been thought as an originary principle in its own right.

Yet the Arabic language preserves a singular grammatical form — the muthannā (dual) — which is neither opposition nor mere numerical addition. The dual does not designate two juxtaposed terms, but a minimal relational structure in which poles are held together without fusion or hierarchy. It opens an irreducible in-between, a differential bond that resolves neither into unity nor into multiplicity.

From this linguistic singularity emerges a more radical philosophical hypothesis: what if relation actually precedes its terms? What if “two” were not derived from a prior unity, but instead constituted the very condition for the appearance of difference, temporality, and alterity?

This conference proposes to explore this hypothesis by founding a field of inquiry devoted to thinking the dual (al-muthannā) as an ontological, theological, and anthropological principle. It is neither a strictly linguistic study nor a comparative theme on duality, but a conceptual displacement: thinking relation as originary structure.

This orientation finds particular significance within contemporary Islamic theologies, where the concept of ʿahd (covenant, pact, commitment, attestation) appears not merely as a juridical category, but as a fundamental relational structure. Thought from the dual, ʿahd allows us to conceive theological event not as unilateral irruption nor silent co-belonging, but as the institution of an addressed, asymmetrical, and temporally sustained bond.

Organized within the framework of the Chair of Contemporary Islamic Theologies at the University of Lorraine, this conference constitutes the first stage of a broader research program (2026–2029) devoted to the theological and philosophical formalization of the dual.

Thematic Areas

1. Theologies of the Dual

This strand explores the theological resources of the dual within the Abrahamic traditions and in contemporary reconfigurations of the relation between the divine and the human, examining relational structure as a theological principle.

The dual in the Abrahamic traditions: creation, couple, covenant, Trinity.
ʿAhd (covenant/pact) as the foundation of a theology of relation.
– Rethinking contemporary Islamic theologies.
– Comparative readings of Islamic, Catholic, and Protestant theologies.
– The dual as a way beyond the separation between immanence and transcendence.

2. Philosophy and Ontology of the Dual

This strand examines the dual as a fundamental ontological hypothesis capable of reconfiguring classical categories of being, temporality, alterity, and event.

The dual as an ontological and phenomenological foundation.
– The event as ʿahd (covenant, commitment) in critical dialogue with contemporary philosophies of the event (Ereignis, etc.).
– Moving beyond the
archē and toward a non-hierarchical relation between same and other.

3. Social Sciences and Humanities

This strand investigates the anthropological, sociological, and political implications of the dual, addressing contemporary forms of relation, institution, and coexistence.

The dual in the sociology of relation: community, institution, alterity.
– An anthropology of the “two”: kinship, mirror, reciprocity, sexual difference, and constructions of gender.
– Politics of the dual: conflict, pact, coexistence.
– An ecology of the dual: between nature and culture, human and non-human.

4. Literature, Arts, and Language

This strand explores the poetic, aesthetic, and linguistic dimensions of the dual, particularly in the Arabic language, as well as its extensions in contemporary artistic forms.

The poetics of the dual in classical and modern Arabic literature.
– Figures of doubling and mirroring in world literature.
– The Arabic language and the thought of the muthannā: grammar, ontology, aesthetics.
– The dual in contemporary arts: image, rhythm, voice, performance.

5. History and Memory of the Dual

This strand proposes a historical and critical reflection on foundational dualities of modernity and the possibility of a relational historiography that rethinks classical oppositions.

Foundational dualities of modernity: reason and faith, East and West, humanity and nature.
– A history of the two: dyad, couple, covenant, rivalry.
– Toward a historiography of the dual: rethinking dialectics and historical temporality.

Submission Guidelines

Scholars are invited to submit:

  • a title and abstract (300–500 words),

  • a short biographical note (maximum 10 lines).

Deadline: April 30, 2026
Notification: May 30, 2026
Submissions to: frank.darwiche@univ-lorraine.fr

Working Languages

French, Arabic, and English

Scientific Committee

  • Frank Darwiche (Université de Lorraine – théologie, philosophie, pensée arabe)
  • Nader El-Bizri (Warburg Institute, University of London – islamologie, philosophie)
  • Georges Tamer (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg – islamologie, histoire)
  • Wilhelm Schmidt-Biggemann (Freie Universität Berlin – théologie, mysticisme)
  • Mouchir Aoun (Université Libanaise – philosophie et théologie)
  • Ulrich Rodolph (Université de Zurich – islamologie)
  • Mitri Raheb (Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem – théologie)
  • Yves Meessen (Université de Lorraine – théologie systématique)
  • Hassan Chahdi (Université de Lorraine – islamologie)
  • Eric Vallet (Université de Strasbourg – histoire médiévale, mondes islamiques)
  • Hela Ouardi (Université de Tunis – islamologie, lettres arabes)

 

Event attendance modalities

Full on-site event


Date(s)

  • Thursday, April 30, 2026

Keywords

  • muthannā, duel, ontologie, théologie, ʿahd, alliance, philosophie arabe, relation, islamologie, littérature, art

Contact(s)

  • Frank Darwiche
    courriel : frank [dot] darwiche [at] univ-lorrraine [dot] fr

Information source

  • Frank Darwiche
    courriel : frank [dot] darwiche [at] univ-lorrraine [dot] fr

License

CC-BY-4.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0 .

To cite this announcement

Frank Darwiche, « Thinking from the Dual – Ontology, Theology and the Humanities through the Lens of the “Muthannā” », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/15w7k

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