An Analysis of the Representation of Freedom, Love, and Liberation from Alienation in Hamid Sabzevari’s Resistance Poetry Based on Erich Fromm’s Psychoanalytic Humanism

Abstract

Drawing on the theoretical framework of Erich Fromm’s psychoanalytic humanism, this article examines the representation of freedom, love, and liberation from alienation in the resistance poetry of Hamid Sabzevari. The central research problem concerns how these poems, beyond reflecting resistance to political and historical domination, also articulate the inner process through which human beings liberate themselves from fear, passivity, self-loss, and existential disconnection. The significance of this study stems from the fact that most previous research has primarily focused on the political, historical, ideological, and linguistic dimensions of Sabzevari’s poetry, whereas its psychological and anthropological capacities have received comparatively less attention within a coherent theoretical framework. The study employs a descriptive-analytical method, and the data are examined through the selection and analysis of prominent verses from Sabzevari’s resistance poetry in light of Fromm’s key concepts, including positive freedom, productive love, responsible action, overcoming passivity, and liberation from alienation. The findings indicate that freedom in these poems is not confined to liberation from domination and tyranny; rather, it is predominantly represented in the forms of awareness, moral choice, social commitment, and active participation in collective destiny. Likewise, love in Sabzevari’s poetic system possesses a social, ideal-oriented, and self-sacrificial character and is associated with solidarity, the defense of the oppressed, fidelity to religious and national values, and the preservation of human dignity. By contrast, alienation manifests itself in such forms as fear, complacency, betrayal, submission to domination, and passivity. Accordingly, in addition to its epic and political functions, Sabzevari’s resistance poetry possesses a profound capacity for representing the conscious, responsible, meaning-oriented, and liberation-seeking human being.