Overview

Gender and Identity in Arab Women's Literature: Ink and Identity follows the journey of Arab women from being silenced in male-authored texts to finding their voices in fiction, memoir, and theater. Whether writing from the streets, prisons, or within the broader socio-political world, Arab women have carved out spaces for themselves in areas once thought off-limits. The contributors analyze how these women challenge stereotypes, take back control of their stories, and push back against restrictive gender roles. Through the work of scholars like Foucault and Butler, the book looks at the dynamics of power, identity, and body politics in their writings. It offers a new understanding of how women’s voices continue to challenge and transform the narratives around them. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the powerful, ongoing role women play in shaping their own stories in the Middle East.

Full Product Details

Author:   Diana Obeid ,  Sonia Lamrani
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN:  

9781666974249

ISBN 10:   1666974242
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   30 April 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Diana Obeid and Sonia Lamrani Chapter 1: Overturning Silence: Kabareh Cheikhats and Dar Nsa-Moroccan Counternarratives on Hshouma and L’hogra Yasmina Aidi Chapter 2: Postcolonial Identity Constructions in Ferrudja Kessas’ Beur’s Story and Fawzia Zouari’s The Second Wife Patricia Seuchie Chapter 3: “I am a Story:” Intersecting Narratives and Fictional Witness in Samar Yazbek’s Planet of Clay and Basma Abdel Aziz’s Here Is A Body Amira Farhani Chapter 4: The Fla^neuse in the Crossfire: Gender, Testimony, and Resistance in Samar Yazbak’s Diaries of the Syrian Revolution Sara Ghersallah & Djamel Eddine Guenifi Chapter 5: Rejection or Internalization? The Persistence of Clichés in the Image of Arab Women Sonia Lamrani Chapter 6: Navigating Unconventional Spaces: The Impact of Colonial Schools on Identity and Self-Representation in Assia Djebar’s L’Amour la fantasia. Sara Mechkarini Chapter 7: Rewriting Captivity: Arab Female Prison Discourse Diana Obeid Chapter 8: Femininity as a Discourse Yasmin Abbas About the Editors and Contributors

Reviews

""Dr Obeid and Dr. Lamrani define literature broadly and present studies of not only of novels and poetry, but also screen plays, theatre performances and prison writing to discuss contemporary Middle Eastern women writers. The opening song lyrics: “I am woman. Hear me roar.” by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton, now a feminist meme, applies to these essay contributors who mew and roar with a full voice as they navigate and expand their agency to redefine power relationships between men and women. Recommended for graduate students and upper- level undergraduates as well as those who are change makers or who want to better understand and be inspired by these Middle Eastern authors."" * Fran Hassencahl, Old Dominion University *

Author Information

Diana Obeid is the founding Co-Director of the Middle East and North Africa studies at Christopher Newport University and teaches Arabic, Middle East studies, women and gender in the Arab world, and cultural studies. Sonia Lamrani is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Boumerdes and an Associate Researcher at the University of Birmingham.

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