Re-membering: Testimony of the/a Body in the Works of Arab Women Writers

ČIŽMÍKOVÁ, Danuša. Re-membering: Testimony of the/a Body in the Works of Arab Women Writers. In Literature and Totalitarianism; International Conference; Masaryk University; November 15 - 16, 2023. 2023.

Basic information

• Original name: Re-membering: Testimony of the/a Body in the Works of Arab Women Writers
• Authors: ČIŽMÍKOVÁ, Danuša.
• Edition: Literature and Totalitarianism; International Conference; Masaryk University; November 15 - 16, 2023. 2023.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 60206 Specific literatures
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the representations of the body (or its parts) and the various meanings it acquires in literary texts that speak to/of Power. The paper discusses the works of Basma ‘Abd al-‘Azīz (Abdel Aziz) and ‘Adaniyya Shiblī (Adania Shibli) in order to elucidate the role that the narratives of the body and embodied experiences assume in challenging oppressive systems. The body can be understood as a means or a symbol; it can be perceived and narrated as a site of control, a site of protest, or a site of liberation; however, regardless of the function it assumes throughout the narrative, its experiences and actions always carry the consequences for the embodied self/selves as such. The paper looks at the intersections between memory and body in order to illuminate the techniques through which the traumatic experiences can be narrated and (thus) transformed.

Links

• MUNI/A/1208/2022, interní kód MU: Name: Evropské proměny a konstanty: antické civilizace a jazyky v dalším evropském vývoji

Investor: Masaryk University, European Changes and Stability: Ancient Civilizations and Languages in Later European Transformations