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Double Colonization: A Voice of the Voiceless in Leila Abouzeid's Year of the Elephant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2022

Redhwan Qasem Ghaleb Rashed Open the ORCID record for Redhwan Qasem Ghaleb Rashed [Opens in a new window]
Redhwan Qasem Ghaleb Rashed*
Affiliation:
English Department, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia, and English Department, Amran University, Yemen
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Many Afro-Arab women novelists, if not all, have been addressing feminist issues for ages while homeland issues have been masculinized. Against this trend, Leila Abouzeid's academic interests span not only women's issues, but also those of men and of her country as well. Her book shows how a woman is dominated by patriarchy and colonization and how she herself appears to be an executioner. It also shows her struggle and resistance against patriarchy and imperial power, without sacrificing her commitment to her national and religious identity. In contrast to secular feminism, Abouzeid views religion as a source of relief and solace. The study also argues that the men happily adopt the colonial culture whereas their women resist it. Tackling the experience of double colonization in Year of the Elephant captures the experiences of millions of women in both the eastern and western hemispheres who rebel over the laws that govern their lives.

Keywords

ColonizationemancipationidentityLeila Abouzeidpatriarchyresistance
Type
Special Focus: Spotlight on Pedagogical Perspectives and the Politics of Representation
Information
Review of Middle East Studies , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , June 2021 , pp. 91 - 109
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc.

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References

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