Overview

This course is a thematic navigation of othering, social taboos, and ethnicity in Arab contemporary fiction, focusing on how marginalized ethnic communities are represented within novels. Contemporary Arab writers often engage with social norms, religious constraints, and political landscapes, exposing the tensions that shape identities on the periphery. We will use an interdisciplinary approach to analyse the chosen texts.Through multiple fields like anthropology, sociology, history, psychology, and cultural studies, We will thus examine these themes from various perspectives and gain a more comprehensive understanding of them. We will explore how marginalized individuals – particularly those who are different – are positioned in contrast to dominant social groups. The “othering” of ethnicities highlights the creation and regulation of social boundaries, emphasizing the role of taboos in reinforcing exclusion.

By comparing and contrasting the human condition across diverse cultural contexts, we can acquire knowledge of experiences, challenge stereotypes, and identify ingrained attitudes, considering the thin line between the universal truth and specific contexts. The course also investigates how these narratives reflect broader struggles with diversity, difference, and power, offering nuanced critiques of Arab societies. Moreover, it sheds light on how literature becomes a site for negotiating identity, challenging hegemonic norms, and providing insight into how social realities could be constructed.