The Physiognomy of Meaning

In Physiognomy of Meaning: From Interpretation to Meta-Interpretation, Dr. Chafika Ouail articulates a rigorous theoretical framework centered on how meaning is traced, produced, and legitimized. The author creatively adopts the classical Arabic concept of Qiyafah (the art of tracking footprints and discerning physical traits) as an epistemological metaphor for literary and philosophical decipherment.

The study systematically transitions from standard interpretive practices (hermeneutics) to "meta-interpretation"—a higher-level critical scrutiny that interrogates the assumptions, limitations, and cognitive structures of interpretation itself. By synthesizing insights from classical Arabic linguistic heritage with modern Western hermeneutic philosophy, Ouail offers a groundbreaking methodology for reading complex texts and cultural symbols.

Because it offers a highly original framework bridging classical Arabic heritage concepts with modern philosophy of interpretation, providing novel tools for textual analysis.

Scholars of literary theory, specialists in hermeneutics and philosophy, researchers in Arabic thought, and postgraduate students focusing on critical discourse and semiotics.