The contemporary Arabic novel as social history: urban decadence, politics and women in Naguib Mahfouz's fiction.

Publication Date: 01-JUN-03 Publication Title: Studies in the Humanities Format: Online - a ro!imatel" #$1% &ords 'uthor: (ehinde) '"o

escription The 'rabic no*el) li+e an" other re,ional *ersion) is a roduct o- the un-oldin, socio- olitical e*ents in its enablin, societ". /t has continued to under,o di--erent sta,es o- metamor hosis de endin,) ocourse) on the ,eneration o- &riters and the re*ailin, circumstances but &ith de-inin, recurrin, moti-s &hose ermanent im rint remains lar,el" in the consciousness o- the &riters. 'rabic -iction has al&a"s been lar,el" located in the domain o- social realism as a counter discourse. /t ma" not be an e!a,,eration) there-ore) to claim that all &or+s o- art si,ni-" the relationshi bet&een the indi*idual and his0her societ". /- this is a le,itimate assertion b" contem orar" literar" critics) then the contem orar" 'rabic no*el deser*es the ri,ht o- inclusion. The re-e*aluation o- 'rabic -iction is accountable b" the -act that the distinction bet&een histor" and -iction has become in contem orar" eriod as 1blurrin, as it &as in the ei,hteenth and earl" nineteenth centuries1 23aciule&ic4 3#56. Historians) literar" critics and no*elists ali+e dra& attention to arallels bet&een literature and sociohistorical issues. Ha"den 7hite ar,ues that:

literar" discourse ma" di--er -rom historical discourse b" *irtue o- rimar" re-erents) concei*ed as ima,inar" rather than real e*ents) but the t&o +inds o- discourse are more similar than di--erent since both o erate lan,ua,e in such a &a" that an" distinction bet&een their discursi*e -orm and their inter retati*e content remains im ossible. 286 The -ore,oin, *ie& is *er" rele*ant to contem orar" 'rabic -iction) &hich constantl" si,ni-ies societal roblems li+e disillusionment) alienation) dissociation and -rustration. 's a redominantl" realist art) the contem orar" 'rabic -iction em hasi4es the mimetic and didactic) and it is there-ore sociall" and oliticall" oriented. Dissonance) in9ustice) ine:ualit" and dehumani4ation b" the industrial and ca italist s"stem on the one hand and neocolonialism) o*ert") se!ism) olitical intolerance and corru tion on the other) -orm the sub9ect matter o- the no*el. This claim corroborates that o- Huma /brahim &ho o ines that the contem orar" ostcolonial no*el re-lects the socio- olitical realities o- the modern era in &hich the sole ob9ects o- criticism ate the indi,enous technocrats) cadres and ,o*ernment o--icials &ho e! loit the masses the" had romised to u li-t 2#$6. /ndeed) the creati*e artist la"s a rominent role in societ") and that his art is to a lar,e e!tent -unctional has been the ostcolonial conce t o- art. ;!ce t -or some -orms o- -ormalism and structuralism) &hich tr" to ro*e that literature has an autonomous e!istence inde endent o- historical and social realities) it is &idel" acce ted b" critics that each &or+ o- art -inds ins iration in the socio-

olitical realities in &hich the author -inds himsel- 2<ami+unle 536. ;*en) se aration o- the literar" and the historical is no& bein, challen,ed in ostmodern theor" and art= the -ocus is no& more on &hat the t&o modes o- &ritin, ha*e in common than ho& the" di--er 2Hutcheon 1056. <ased on the -ore,oin, theoretical -rame&or+ and bac+,round) the aim o- this a er is to in*esti,ate the henomena o- urban decadence) olitics and &omen in three re resentati*e no*els o- one o'rab0&orld no*elists) the Nobel >aureate) Na,uib 3ah-ou4. The selected no*els are 3ida: 'lle") ?hildren o- @ebela&i and 3iramar. This is not a random selection o- te!ts) but it is in-ormed b" an attem t to ,i*e the article a -ocus= the" are considered to be ,ood sam les o- his no*els o- direct social and olitical commentar". The selected no*els are sociall" realistic in the mode o- <al4ac) @als&orth" and Aola. 'n" e!e,esis o- the issues in*ol*ed in this discussion must er-orce be -rom the sociolo,ical stand oint. This e! lains the choice o- this a roach in the anal"sis o- the te!ts. The contem orar" 'rabic no*el) li+e other ostcolonial no*els) can be described as a historio,ra hic meta-iction) a contem orar" *ariet" o- the historical no*el. ' socio- olitical *ie& o- manBs e!istence is at the *er" root o- almost e*er"thin, that 3ah-ou4 has &ritten. There-ore) in this a er an attem t is made to e!amine his -iction as a -orm o- social histor" &here he resents an e"e&itness account o- his countr"Bs olitical) social) reli,ious and intellectual li-e. 3ah-ou4 is erha s the best +no&n and most studied 'rab no*elist in the 'n,lo hone &orld. For a lon, time) he has -unctioned in literar" criticism as a no*elist &ho -acilitated the de*elo ment o- the 'rabic no*el to&ards its realist -orm= his -iction bears a rele*ance to ;," tian contem orar" socio olitical realit") all too ob*ious to be missed. The socio- olitical ills o- his societ" are ima,inati*el" chronicled &ith the -ull anal"tical o&er a--orded him b" the best techni:ues o- realism and naturalism. To some e!tent) 3ah-ou4Bs no*els mainl" arise out o- the articular alternati*e o- his time) societ" and the &orld in ,eneral. The essence o- this claim is that his rose te!ts al&a"s arise &hen he) dissatis-ied &ith resent social realities) tries to ro*ide ima,inati*e alternati*es to them. His no*els ,i*e e! ression in o&er-ul meta hors to the ho es and -rustration o- his nation. /n the &ords o- ;d&ard Said) 3ah-ou4 has 1a decidedl" catholic and) in a &a") o*erbearin, *ie& o- his countr"1 2%6. His -iction) stee ed in local realit") is one o- the man" si,nalin, rocesses o- the tensions) strains and con-licts o- his societ" in articular) and the Third-7orld in ,eneral. Ho&e*er) his no*els still a eal to that &hich is uni*ersal and ermanent in human nature and societies. This recalls Cem" Oria+uBs assertion that one o- the commonest themes in &orld literature is that o- 1manBs alienation) the solitar") in a hostile &orld1 2%386. 3ah-ou4 is eminentl" reco,ni4ed as the 'rabBs &orldBs leadin, &riter o- -iction) &ho has 1not onl" roduced a &hole stream o- e!cellent no*els o*er a eriod o- -our decades) but also turned the no*el) as a means o- societal comment and criticism) into an accessible and accom lished medium1 2'llen %036. This statement illuminates the realistic undertone o- 3ah-ou4Bs -iction. /n -act) his no*els are mostl" &or+s o- social realism) &hich -ore,round societal disillusionment &ith the initial eu horia &ith &hich the ma9orit" o- ;," tians had ,reeted the Ce*olution in their nation. >i+e man" other &riters othe 'rab &orld) 3ah-ou4Bs no*els o--er a literar" criti:ue o- the chan,es that the ne& socio- olitical realities o- his nation ha*e &rou,ht. He ima,inati*el" ca tures the stru,,les o- his eo le &hose nation is constantl" under,oin, the e!cruciatin, ains o- socio- olitical trans-ormation) -rom lon,er and lin,erin, e--ects o- re-colonial ethnic he,emonies) colonial e! eriences o- sadness and 9o") and neocolonial a--inities on to a state o- com lete sel--determination and inde endence o- the mind. Sel-determination ho&e*er seems elusi*e) rimaril" because o- ;," tBs social) olitical) economic and educational de,eneration under successi*e militar" and ci*ilian re,imes and administrations res ecti*el" 23enahem 3ilson %##6.

3ah-ou4 must ha*e) in his -iction) ado ted some social reoccu ations b" &hich) he ho es) his societ" ma" be ositi*el" moti*ated and ,raduall" trans-ormed. Such trans-ormations subsume issues li+e the education o- the "ouths) a chan,e -rom e!treme conser*atism to moderation in modernit") a halt to the ursuit o- illusion and -antas" rather than ractical realit") u li-t o- the social conditions o- &omen) maintenance o- a balance bet&een the demands o- reli,ion and s iritualit" on one band and the scienti-ic and the technolo,ical im erati*es on the other. Others include creation o- a better atmos here -or the sur*i*al o- the marria,e institution -ounded on true lo*e) and) conse:uentl") ensurin, the establishment o- &holesome -amil" units) &hich &ill lead to the reali4ation o- a stable) disci lined and economicall" *iable countr". /ndeed) 3ah-ou4) in his no*els) d&ells on the *icissitudes o- modern ;," t) most es eciall" the an, o- li*in, in its contem orar" urban cities. Hilar" (il atric+ hi,hli,hts a -e& dimensions o- social themes and criticisms &ithin &hich the -ore,oin, issues ma" be accommodated and treated. These in*ol*e the rural and urban conditions) the olitical and administrati*e s"stem) the osition o- &omen and reli,ion in human societies 213D6. 'lso) Halim <ara+at identi-ies -i*e trends in the cate,ori4ation o- contem orar" 'rabic social no*els: no*els...

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Hegemony and Ambiguity: Discourses, Counter-discourses and Hidden Meanings in French Depictions of the Conquest and Settlement of Algeria
Author: !"l#ne $ill D !: 10.1080/09%&9480%00%%'%'& "ublication Frequency: 4 issues per year "ublished in: Mo(ern an( )ontemporary *rance+ ,olume 14+ Issue 2 May 200% + pages 1-' - 1'2 Sub#ects: .uropean !istory/ .uropean 0tu(ies/ Formats a$ailable: !TM1 2.nglish3 : 45* 2.nglish3 In order to give pricing details we need to know your country. Please register and/or sign in to identify your country.

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Abstract

This article examines the (iscourses to 7e rea( in painte( representations o8 colonial moti8s 2an( their mo(es o8 (isplay3 in *rance 7et9een the mi(-nineteenth an( the early t9entieth centuries+ i.e. until the (a9n - 7ut not the completion - o8 (ecolonisation. It 9ill analyse selecte( images+ some o8 9hich ha:e 7ecome em7lematic as triumphant an(/or en(uring mani8estations o8 colonial (omination. It 9ill ;uestion the rea(ings an( uses o8 such images 8rom the time o8 con;uest to the post-colonial era. This article<s 8ocus+ ho9e:er+ 9ill 7e less on the 9ell-rehearse( (ominant (iscourses than on gaps+ silences+ unans9ere( ;uestions+ misgi:ings an( :arious non-(its 9hich can 7e (etecte(+ on closer examination+ in these 9or=s+ their mo(es o8 (i88usion an( their reception 7y contemporaries. It 9ill loo= 8or signs o8 am7i:alence in the ren(ition o8 colonial scenes 7y the artists themsel:es 2such as ,ernet or *romentin3+ 9ho :isite( the sites o8 7attle scenes in >lgeria shortly a8ter gruesome e:ents ha( ta=en place. In particular+ the paper 9ill loo= 8or haunting :isions o8 9hat ha( happene( there+ 7eyon( the o88icial+ hegemonic (iscourse 9hich 9as 8ashiona7le at the time+ an( 9hich+ in some cases+ these artists ha( 7een commissione( to illustrate. The main argument concentrates closely on (iscourse an( counter-(iscourse analysis+ as 9ell as the 8lui(ity an( the trans8era7ility o8 (iscourses across the colonial/post-colonial (i:i(e. :ie9 re8erences 21%3 http://999.in8orma9orl(.com/smpp/content?content@a'4'%90418?(7@all