- Critical Theory, Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Queer Theory, Representation of Others, Muslim diasporas in Europe and the US, and 11 more9/11 Cultural Production, Philosophy, Sociology, Communication, Literature, Theology, Feminist Theory, Media, Gender and Sexuality, English language, and English Literatureedit
This article examines the representation of the woman in hijab as a freak in Deena Mohamed’s webcomic Qahera. In creating Qahera, a hijab-wearing superheroine, Mohamed reconstructs difference as a performance of Homi Bhabha's Third Space.... more
This article examines the representation of the woman in hijab as a
freak in Deena Mohamed’s webcomic Qahera. In creating Qahera, a
hijab-wearing superheroine, Mohamed reconstructs difference as a
performance of Homi Bhabha's Third Space. Instead of becoming an
objectified spectacle that affirms normative bodies, Qahera’s visibility
as a freak disrupts binary oppositions naturalised by the hegemonic
discourses of Arab patriarchy and Western feminism regarding what
constitutes a ‘normal’ body. Her freakery challenges the discourses that
try to silence her because what makes Qahera a superheroine is not
her superpowers but the transformational force of her hijab. It
becomes a discursive tool turning dichotomising discourses on their
ear and establishing agency over the representability of her body.
Relying on Freak Studies, gender theories, and Postcolonial Studies
as a theoretical framework, this article problematises the representation
of Muslim women by the dialectical discourses of Arab patriarchy
and Western Feminism.
freak in Deena Mohamed’s webcomic Qahera. In creating Qahera, a
hijab-wearing superheroine, Mohamed reconstructs difference as a
performance of Homi Bhabha's Third Space. Instead of becoming an
objectified spectacle that affirms normative bodies, Qahera’s visibility
as a freak disrupts binary oppositions naturalised by the hegemonic
discourses of Arab patriarchy and Western feminism regarding what
constitutes a ‘normal’ body. Her freakery challenges the discourses that
try to silence her because what makes Qahera a superheroine is not
her superpowers but the transformational force of her hijab. It
becomes a discursive tool turning dichotomising discourses on their
ear and establishing agency over the representability of her body.
Relying on Freak Studies, gender theories, and Postcolonial Studies
as a theoretical framework, this article problematises the representation
of Muslim women by the dialectical discourses of Arab patriarchy
and Western Feminism.
Research Interests:
This article employs narrative theory and discourse analysis to examine the translator’s paratextual influences in the Arabic translation of Joe Sacco’s graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. We argue that the Palestinian translator sees... more
This article employs narrative theory and discourse analysis to
examine the translator’s paratextual influences in the Arabic translation
of Joe Sacco’s graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. We argue
that the Palestinian translator sees himself as an activist who has a
mission to reframe his people’s cause as a struggle for independence.
We locate several patterns of interferences that aim to
affect readers’ perception of the Palestinians and Israelis in
Sacco’s recounting of the events of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza
Strip in 1956. This study shows that the translator’s paratexts
frame Palestinians as victims of Israeli occupation and heroes in
their struggle against it. The translator ideologically embeds himself
in the translation as he reinterprets certain representations of
characters and historical events which respond to his political
affiliations and the expectancy norms of his target Arab readers.
examine the translator’s paratextual influences in the Arabic translation
of Joe Sacco’s graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. We argue
that the Palestinian translator sees himself as an activist who has a
mission to reframe his people’s cause as a struggle for independence.
We locate several patterns of interferences that aim to
affect readers’ perception of the Palestinians and Israelis in
Sacco’s recounting of the events of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza
Strip in 1956. This study shows that the translator’s paratexts
frame Palestinians as victims of Israeli occupation and heroes in
their struggle against it. The translator ideologically embeds himself
in the translation as he reinterprets certain representations of
characters and historical events which respond to his political
affiliations and the expectancy norms of his target Arab readers.
Research Interests:
This paper examines the intertextual relationship between Hamlet and Yassin-Kassab's The Road from Damascus (2008). It argues that the appropriation of Hamlet's intellectual and psychological inner conflicts in the novel highlights the... more
This paper examines the intertextual relationship between Hamlet and Yassin-Kassab's The Road from Damascus (2008). It argues that the appropriation of Hamlet's intellectual and psychological inner conflicts in the novel highlights the complexities of ideological decisions Muslims in Britain face in post-9/11 times. Sami, the novel's protagonist, goes on a quest for salvation and truth that echoes in many ways Hamlet's anguished and prolonged search for evidence of his father's murder story, as narrated by the father's ghost. Just as Hamlet's revenge mission turns into a series of meditations on the human existence, death, and the futility of vengeance, Sami's negotiation with his late father's unwavering demands for secularism and repudiation of Islam complicates the shaping of the Muslim diasporic identity. A number of quotations from Hamlet that come at crucial moments in the novel, as well as Sami's Hamlet-like hallucinatory state, help steer him toward crucial self-realizations. This paper examines Robin Yassin-Kassab's appropriation of Shakespeare's Hamlet into his post-9/11 novel, The Road from Damascus (2008). It presents a comparative reading of the two texts, identifying parallel techniques and crucial plot development that help Yassin-Kassab in problematizing the ideological representation of the Arab Muslim in diaspora. We argue that the hero of Yassin-Kassab's novel shares some of Hamlet's dilemmas, disillusionments, and experiences of attempting to find answers for urgent and persistent ontological questions. As the specter of the father dominates Hamlet and his pursuit of and resistance to revenge, Sami, the protagonist in The Road from Damascus, is haunted by his father's ghost while he explores his ideological affiliations. Sami finds himself torn between his father's anti-Islamist pan-Arabism and his own allegiances and political convictions. Like Shakespeare's protagonist, who sets out on a psychological journey through which he asks a series of critical questions that eventually help him clear his mind and reach a sense of equilibrium, Sami's early confusion and procrastination turn into a profound and thoughtful quest that eventually cleanses his mind and restores his sense of self-respect and dignity.