1- PhD Student at Tarbiat Modares University , N_bigdeli@modares.ac.ir
2- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University
3- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University
3- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (277 Views)
Abstract
This study explores the redefinition of cultural identity in Ayn Hammurabi, a novel by Abdelatif Ould Abdallah, through the lens of postcolonial criticism—particularly via Homi Bhabha’s concepts of "hybridity" and the "third space." The research analyzes how identity formation occurs in postcolonial Algeria by tracing the journey of the protagonist, Wahid Hamras, who confronts collective amnesia, internal authority, and the external "Other" in a process that generates a hybrid, fluid, and resistant identity. Employing a critical-analytical method, the study examines narrative elements such as name, body, mother, myth, and place to reveal the agency of the marginalized subject in meaning production and self-reconstruction. Findings demonstrate that Ayn Hammurabi succeeds in presenting a complex vision of identity by constructing intertextual and intercultural spaces that avoid nostalgic return to a pure past or passive acceptance of a dominant present. Instead, the novel articulates identity through cultural negotiation and meaning-making within socio-political tensions. Moreover, the narrative not only critiques the legacy of colonialism but also challenges the internal structures of postcolonial power. Thus, the novel offers a compelling literary model for understanding identity formation in postcolonial societies.
This study explores the redefinition of cultural identity in Ayn Hammurabi, a novel by Abdelatif Ould Abdallah, through the lens of postcolonial criticism—particularly via Homi Bhabha’s concepts of "hybridity" and the "third space." The research analyzes how identity formation occurs in postcolonial Algeria by tracing the journey of the protagonist, Wahid Hamras, who confronts collective amnesia, internal authority, and the external "Other" in a process that generates a hybrid, fluid, and resistant identity. Employing a critical-analytical method, the study examines narrative elements such as name, body, mother, myth, and place to reveal the agency of the marginalized subject in meaning production and self-reconstruction. Findings demonstrate that Ayn Hammurabi succeeds in presenting a complex vision of identity by constructing intertextual and intercultural spaces that avoid nostalgic return to a pure past or passive acceptance of a dominant present. Instead, the novel articulates identity through cultural negotiation and meaning-making within socio-political tensions. Moreover, the narrative not only critiques the legacy of colonialism but also challenges the internal structures of postcolonial power. Thus, the novel offers a compelling literary model for understanding identity formation in postcolonial societies.
Keywords: : Arabic Narratology, Cultural Identity, Postcolonialism, Hybridity, Third Space, Ayn Hammurabi, Abdelatif Ould Abdallah
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