Book Description | In his book "Dots on Letters," Salam Al-Shama'a compiles previously unpublished writings of the outstanding Iraqi sociologist Dr. Ali Al-Wardi, presenting to the reader the fundamental ideas that this scholar discussed in cultural gatherings and his journalistic dialogues. All of these ideas revolve around the nature of the Iraqi personality and the characteristics of Iraqi society, making the book almost a summary of all the works Al-Wardi authored, starting with his book "The Iraqi Individual's Personality" in the early 1950s, through "The Preachers of the Sultans," and ending with the last part of his famous encyclopedia "Social Glimpses from the History of Modern Iraq." The book is a collection of articles Al-Wardi wrote for the newspaper "Al-Ittihad," which was published by the Iraqi Industrial Union in the late 1980s, along with other ideas and opinions that Al-Wardi became well-known for in his treatment of issues concerning Iraqi society. Additionally, the book indirectly presents vivid, unseen images of Baghdad's cultural life before the American invasion of Iraq, specifically: the cultural gatherings held in some prestigious houses attended by prominent figures of culture and literature, as well as concerned members of the general public. These gatherings featured free discussions that were sometimes calm and profound and other times lively and passionate, covering a variety of topics, primarily the ideas proposed by Al-Wardi in this book with his presence. Accordingly, the contents of the book are divided into twelve chapters, which are: 1- Compulsive Motivations in Humans, 2- The Unconscious, 3- Modern Civilization, 4- The Mind, 5- Discrepancy, 6- Social Injustice, 7- Higher Education, 8- Critique of Marxism, 9- Journalism and Society, 10- Utopian Thinking, 11- About Critique, 12- Appendices, which include: "Social Studies on Public Opinion and the Mob / Ali Al-Wardi," "From Ali Al-Wardi's Papers on the Meaning of Civilization," "The Thinker Dr. Ali Al-Wardi / Dr. Abd Al-Sattar Izz Al-Din Al-Rawi," "Dr. Ali Al-Wardi and the Magazine 'The People's Clinic' / Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Khalil Al-Allaf." |