Arabic Literature

Postcolonial Criticism: A Cultural Approach to the Book Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

Yadkar Latif Shahrazuri

Volume 12, Issue 3 , November 2020, , Pages 1-24

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2020.78579

Abstract

There is a clear overlap between postmodern theories such as postfeminism, poststructuralism, and postindustrialism. An exception to this overlap is postcolonialism where the time frames ... Read More There is a clear overlap between postmodern theories such as postfeminism, poststructuralism, and postindustrialism. An exception to this overlap is postcolonialism where the time frames of these theories and movements intersect at a contradictory point, even though the texts of each theory contain literary techniques from the other theories, as is the case in the relationship between postcolonialism and postmodernism. For instance, postmodernism attempts to dismantle the structures and restrictions imposed by the theories of literary genre, power, and value, even if they are prevalent traditions. As for the postcolonial approach, it is, to a large extent, politically oriented and seeks to dismantle the structures that consecrate hegemony, control, and power, and to establish relations between unequal forces through bilateral encounters such as I/the other, we/they, the first world/the third world, and white/black or yellow. Edward Said has been considered the founder of postcolonialism since he wrote his famous book Orientalism. We find traces of this critical field in his biographical book Out of Place: A Memoir. His works, especially his books Orientalism and Culture and Imperialism, opened new horizons to various fields of knowledge. The books of this Palestinian-born writer and intellectual have revolutionized Middle Eastern studies and contributed to the creation of new areas of knowledge, such as postcolonial theory. In Culture and Imperialism, he contends that global imperialism has used its dominance in literature, especially the novel which Western imperialism has effectively employed to gain domination over colonized people. He investigates the compatibility of goals between the novel and colonialism and asserts that the novel in particular and narratives in general play important roles in the issue of identity and belonging, as the novel was employed by imperialist powers in the nineteenth and twentieth century as a vital medium in order to extend their imperial control, subjugate the colonized people, and rob them of their identities.

A Postcolonial Study of The Algerian Trilogy (The Big House, The Fire, and The Loom) by Mohammed Dib

Kamal Baghjari

Volume 12, Issue 2 , July 2020, , Pages 85-107

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2019.277064.612039

Abstract

The Algerian Trilogy by Mohammed Dib, a renowned Algerian writer, is one of the most recognized literary works of the contemporary literature of his country. It provides the reader ... Read More The Algerian Trilogy by Mohammed Dib, a renowned Algerian writer, is one of the most recognized literary works of the contemporary literature of his country. It provides the reader with an objective perspective of the Algerian society in the years leading up to the Independence. In each of the novels, the writer focuses on one aspect of the life in the society. He gives the reader a viewpoint of the consequences of the French colonialism in everyday living status of the Algerians in cities, the countryside, and the industrial section in The Big House, The Fire, and The Loom respectively. In order to answer the critical questions pertaining to the postcolonial elements of the novels, this research extracts and analyzes the key concepts of postcolonial theory and criticism reflected in them. Furthermore, it attempts to evaluate the specific mechanisms used by the author to develop a postcolonial image. Thus, the article sets to study the novels’ multiple narrative and its impact on the embodiment of colonial and postcolonial atmosphere in Algeria, the power relations between the master and the slave under French colonialism, the colonial double-standard policies, resistance, and internalized racism. By doing so, it demonstrates that The Algerian Trilogy, with its multi-level narrative and naturalistic approach, challenges the false, superficial message of colonialism as to bringing civilization and modernity to Algeria, and reveals the true negative side of French colonialism. It argues that the master/ slave dichotomy is present in many scenes of all three novels, categorizing the characters into two groups: the dominant and the subaltern. Yet, some of the characters show conscious resistance by their focus on local elements of the Algerian culture and by their display of interest in Arabic language. In other words, the writer goes beyond the stereotype of sheer defiance and portrays cultural and linguistic resistance.

A postcolonial Study about “Season of Migration to the North” by Tayyeb Salih

Kamal Baghjeri; Shahryar Niazi

Volume 7, Issue 1 , September 2015, , Pages 61-86

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2015.56644

Abstract

This article is a Postcolonial study about season of Migration to the North a novel written by Tayyeb Salih (the renowned Sudanese writer). The novel, season of migration to the north, ... Read More

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Keywords = Postcolonial criticism

Postcolonial Criticism: A Cultural Approach to the Book Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

Abstract

A Postcolonial Study of The Algerian Trilogy (The Big House, The Fire, and The Loom) by Mohammed Dib

Abstract

A postcolonial Study about “Season of Migration to the North” by Tayyeb Salih

Abstract