Shafaqna English- The Journal of Research in Linguistics has published the paper “Archetypal Metaphors in Research Dialogue: A Jungian and Conceptual Blending Analysis” written by Zahra Asadian Esfahani in 2025.
According to Shafaqna, the late Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar signed a “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” on 04 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi during the visit to the United Arab Emirates. The document is now regarded as a pivotal interfaith discourse in the modern world, and since 2021, the date February 4 has been celebrated as the International Day of Human Fraternity.
The interfaith discourse can involve individuals from different faiths who seek mutual understanding and respect, thus promoting coexistence and cooperation despite religious differences. It represents a constructive engagement among individuals and institutions grounded in diverse spiritual, religious, or humanistic traditions. The goal is to identify shared values and responsibilities that contributed to global peace and solidarity. But how can we identify the common concepts among different faiths?
In Jungian psychology there is a central concept of the collective unconscious; which means a universal, impersonal psychic system, which is primarily composed of archetypes inherent in all individuals. The collective unconscious is analogous to the human body, which has evolved over millions of years. Jung posited that the human mind has similarly developed, accumulating a vast reservoir of “thought forms”—archetypes—that encompass inherited memories and behavioral patterns passed down through countless generations. These archetypes manifest as distinct mental images or mythic representations deeply embedded in the collective psyche.
In line with this definition and taking into account the conceptual metaphors theory in Cognitive Linguistics, the paper claims that identifying common concepts through archetypal metaphors in interfaith discourse may reflect elements of the collective unconscious, thereby providing a foundation for mutual understanding and shared meaning. This exploration addresses whether conceptual metaphor can represent the collective unconscious and, if so, how global religious leaders may be leveraging this psychological dimension to support interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding.
Analyzing the document of Human Fraternity, the study identified that six concepts are encapsulated in this interfaith dialogue by the universal meanings of HUMANS ARE A FAMILY, RELIGIOUS AWARENESS IS REBIRTH, EVIL IS WEAKNESS, EVIL IS A MACHINE, LIFE IS A GIFT, and HUMANITY IS A WHOLENESS.
The findings suggested that some Jungian archetypes could be effectively represented within these concepts. It is found that the archetypes of the Mother, Rebirth, Shadow, Innocent, and God-Image were depicted at various levels of the conceptual blending process occurring within the unconscious mind. Simultaneously, the collective unconscious functioning as a deeper layer of awareness operated through these very archetypes.
This underscored the richness and depth of meaning embedded within the discourse, drawing upon fundamental aspects of human experience and understanding across diverse cultural and religious contexts.
Therefore, given that the investigation focused on interfaith discourse, it asserts that the collective unconscious is indeed manifested within the conceptual metaphors of this dialogue. The shared conceptualizations among the leaders of Islam and Christianity are projected through the lens of the collective unconscious, utilizing archetypes within these metaphors. This underscores the interconnectedness of human understanding and experience, transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
Source: jrl