Volume 7, Issue 3 (2026)
san 2026, 7(3): 5-25 |
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Bigdeli N, Roshanfekr K, mirzaei F. Cultural Identity Redefined: Historical Amnesia and Hybridity in the Third Space of Ayn Hammurabi . san 2026; 7 (3) :5-25
URL: http://san.khu.ac.ir/article-1-461-en.html
URL: http://san.khu.ac.ir/article-1-461-en.html
1- PhD Student, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Faculty of Humanities, Tehran, Iran , N_bigdeli@modares.ac.ir
2- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Faculty of Humanities, Tehran, Iran
2- Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Faculty of Humanities, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (762 Views)
This study investigates the redefinition of cultural identity in Abdelatif Ould Abdallah’s novel, Ayn Hammurabi, through the lens of postcolonial criticism—specifically, drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s concepts of hybridity and the third space. It analyzes the mechanisms of identity formation in postcolonial Algeria by tracing the journey of the protagonist, Wahid Hamras. Confronted with historical amnesia, internal hegemony, and the external “Other”, Wahid embarks on a process that forges a hybrid, fluid, and resistant identity. Employing a critical-textual analytical method, this research examines key narrative elements—including name, body, mother, myth, and place—to reveal how the marginalized subject exercises agency in the production of meaning and the project of self-redefinition. The findings demonstrate that Ayn Hammurabi successfully presents a complex vision of identity by constructing intertextual and intercultural spaces. This vision rejects both a nostalgic return to an idealized past and a passive acceptance of a dominant present. Instead, the novel articulates identity as a product of cultural negotiation and the creation of new meaning within the crucible of historical and political tensions. Furthermore, the narrative functions as a postcolonial text that not only critiques the legacy of colonial domination but also challenges internal, institutionalized structures of power. In doing so, Ayn Hammurabi offers a compelling literary model for understanding the ongoing and dynamic process of identity formation in postcolonial societies.
Keywords: Cultural Identity, Postcolonialism, Hybridity, Third Space, Ayn Hammurabi, Abdelatif Ould Abdallah
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