Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others after 9/11: Homeland Insecurity

Author:   Lopamudra Basu
Publisher:   Lexington Books
ISBN:  

9781498558242


Pages:   208
Publication Date:   06 December 2018
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Our Price $224.00 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others after 9/11: Homeland Insecurity


Add your own review!

Overview

Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others After 9/11: Homeland Insecurity examines playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar’s contributions to multiple genres including film and theatre. This book situates Akhtar’s oeuvre within the social and political context of post-9/11 American culture, marked by the creation of the Homeland Security State and the racialization of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. It departs from many traditional studies of 9/11 literature by challenging the binary of victim and perpetrator and examining the continuing impact of the event on questions of American nationalism and belonging. Tracing a literary genealogy for Akhtar, it explores a broad range of issues represented in Akhtar’s works such as globalization, the decline of American industry, terrorism, torture, generational conflicts, interracial love, gender and violence, the conflict between secular and religious values—all issues which affect American nationalism both within and outside the nation’s borders, and shape the lives of South Asian American Muslims. Employing the lenses of trauma studies, transnational feminism, postcolonial theory, and performance studies, this book is attentive to the controversial reception of Akhtar’s works and the paucity of authentic representation of Muslim Americans. It combines literary interpretations of Akhtar’s works with sociological analysis of post-9/11 racial formation, a personal interview with Akhtar, and observations of plays and post-play discussions.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lopamudra Basu
Publisher:   Lexington Books
Imprint:   Lexington Books
Dimensions:   Width: 16.20cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 23.30cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781498558242


ISBN 10:   1498558240
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   06 December 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Reviews

A trenchant, much-needed rejoinder to the claim that Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar cynically fans the flames of Islamophobia, Lopamudra Basu's study persuasively recasts his work as a critical response to neoliberal capitalism and American imperialism and as a savvy redeployment of genre conventions that date back to Shakespeare. -- Victoria Rue, San Jose State University Ayad Akthar is rightly situated in the constellation of leading playwrights in the 21st century. Through rigorous theorizing, contextualization, and analysis, Basu yields striking new insights into Akthar's meditation on contemporary issues and themes pertinent to South Asian diasporic life, and representations of Muslim American realities specifically. -- Victoria Rue, San Jose State University Basu deftly explores Ayad Akhtar's literary and creative work to study and complicate the conflation of national security with national interest as well as the befouling of institutional politics, which insidiously bled into the dominant political discourse in the United States and was used to promulgate Islamophobia. -- Nyla Ali Khan, Rose State College This first book on Akhtar's work contextualizes it well within an impressive range of scholarly debates and frameworks. I appreciate the care Basu takes to situate his writing and establish its stakes in the aftermath of 9/11. -- Ambreen Hai, Smith College I read Basu's keenly insightful book while a Fulbright Scholar in Palestine. It illuminated the tensions within Islam globally and the construction of the Muslim as other. I will use Basu's superb book with my Religious Studies and Creative Arts students to trouble the waters of Islamophobia and the homeland security state. -- Victoria Rue, San Jose State University


A trenchant, much-needed rejoinder to the claim that Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar cynically fans the flames of Islamophobia, Lopamudra Basu's study persuasively recasts his work as a critical response to neoliberal capitalism and American imperialism and as a savvy redeployment of genre conventions that date back to Shakespeare. -- Timothy Aubry, Baruch College Ayad Akthar is rightly situated in the constellation of leading playwrights in the 21st century. Through rigorous theorizing, contextualization, and analysis, Basu yields striking new insights into Akthar's meditation on contemporary issues and themes pertinent to South Asian diasporic life and representations of Muslim American realities specifically. -- Jocelyn L. Buckner, Chapman University Basu deftly explores Ayad Akhtar's literary and creative work to study and complicate the conflation of national security with national interest as well as the befouling of institutional politics, which insidiously bled into the dominant political discourse in the United States and was used to promulgate Islamophobia. -- Nyla Ali Khan, Rose State College This first book on Akhtar's work contextualizes it well within an impressive range of scholarly debates and frameworks. Though I would wish for a tougher critical stance, especially regarding his play Disgraced, I appreciate the care Basu takes to situate his writing and establish its stakes in the aftermath of 9/11. -- Ambreen Hai, Smith College I read Basu's keenly insightful book while a Fulbright Scholar in Palestine. It illuminated the tensions within Islam globally and the construction of the Muslim as other. I will use Basu's superb book with my Religious Studies and Creative Arts students to trouble the waters of Islamophobia and the homeland security state. -- Victoria Rue, San Jose State University


Author Information

Lopamudra Basu is professor of English at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

ls

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List