MR 11:30 am - 12:45 pm
This course aims at discussing a wide range of narratives tackling issues of gender in Arabic Literature. How does a poet in nineteenth-century Egypt deal with her condition as a woman? How can we analyze female characters in Mahfouz’ fiction? Is the involvement in the National movement depicted as an emancipatory experience in the novels by Palestinian women? How do we read literary representations of homosexuality in the context of the Lebanese civil war?
Although references will be made to seminal classical texts, the focus will be on writings by modern and contemporary Arabic authors (novels, short stories, poetry). Special attention will be given to contemporary debates on gender and modernity, as well as debates on women writings and feminism.
Readings will be both in Arabic and English, while class discussions will be conducted in English. Papers can be written in either language.