Deconstruction of the Self in Mansoor Adayfi’s Don’t Forget Us Here

The paper explores how former Guantánamo Bay detainee Mansoor Adayfi represents the deconstruction of his “self” in his memoir, Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantánamo (2021). Adayfi was held at the detention facility for nearly fifteen years without ever being formally charged. During his detention, he was subjected to various interrogation methods that were tantamount to torture, authorized by the U.S. government. The paper analyzes the ways in which guards, interrogators, and the camp administration contributed to his dehumanization through processes of mortification and the application of enhanced interrogation techniques. The study's theoretical framework draws on Erving Goffman’s theory of total institutions, adapted to the context of Guantánamo Bay. Mortifications refer to the psychological and, at times, physical methods of dehumanization, while enhanced interrogation techniques are applied with the purpose of extracting actionable information during interrogations by disorienting the individual. By analyzing the life narrative of a former detainee, the paper aims to highlight the significance of examining a subjective perspective on the individual's lived experience, offering a more nuanced and comprehensive view than that offered by the official rhetoric of the U.S. government.

Keywords: deconstruction, life writing, mortification, enhanced interrogation, Guantánamo Bay