Hassan Abdullah Hamdan, more commonly known by his pseudonym Mahdi 'Amel, was an Arab Marxist intellectual and militant in the second half of the 20th century. 'Amil was a professor of philosophy at the Lebanese University in Beirut, and a prominent member of both the Lebanese Communist Party and the Union of Lebanese Writers. He also contributed to the magazine al-Tariq, the mouthpiece of the Lebanese Communist Party. 'Amil was assassinated at the age of 51, amidst the violence and chaos of the Lebanese civil war.
Early life
Mahdi was born in 1936 in Harouf, close to the southern Lebanese city ofNabatieh. His parents moved him and his siblings to Beirut shortly afterwards. In Beirut, Mahdi attended high school at the al-Maqasid School. In 1956, Mahdi began his university studies in France, eventually receiving a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Lyon. Afterwards, Mahdi began his active involvement with the Lebanese Communist Party, joining in 1960.
In 1963, Mahdi moved to the newly independent Algeria with his wife, Evelyne Brun. Mahdi lived in Algeria for 13 years of his relatively short life.
Return to Lebanon and the Communist Party
Upon returning to Lebanon in 1976, Mahdi began work as a teacher at a high school for girls. Later on, he changed jobs to become a full-time professor at the Institute of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University. There, he taught philosophy, politics, and methodologies. At this time, Mahdi also began contributing to al-Tariq, the mouthpiece of the Lebanese Communist Party. For the articles he wrote for this magazine, Mahdi began using the pseudonym by which he is now most commonly known. Mahdi traveled a great deal within Lebanon to deliver lectures on Marxism and to discuss pressing issues with farmers around the country. Mahdi moved up the ranks of the Lebanese Communist Party, eventually becoming a member of the Central Committee in the Fifth Convention, which took place in 1987.
Death
Mahdi 'Amel was assassinated on May 18, 1987 at the age of 51. Amel was walking on Algeria street when two men called his name. As he turned around, the men shot him. He died later that day at the American University of Beirut's hospital. .
Works
In 1991, a collection of his work from the period between 1968 and 1973 was published as In Issues of Teaching and Educational Policies. In this collection, Mahdi describes how Lebanon's education system reproduces sectarianism and undermines overall education.
Notable works
Among Mahdi's notable scholarly work, his criticism of Edward Said'sOrientalism on account of its misreading of Marx's work has gained considerable respect.
