BA Sociology and Arabic

This module explores modern and contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA) literature in Arabic-English translation. Literary writings are spaces in which communities are (re) imagined, memories re(formed) and challenges to existing political discourses emerge. In diverse, and at times, contested literary traditions, contemporary Arab writers often write in ways which work to move beyond polarised mediations of identities and belonging, using differing stylistic techniques. Their writings however inevitably change when (re) mediated in English translation, often with impactful critical effects. In this course, we will explore 10 iconic Arabic literary works published in English translation, considering as we do so, the critical and political receptions of these works as they have moved across various times, locations, and contexts of translation. This course will draw on analytical and theoretical perspectives on literature, including from Translation Studies.

The course will appeal to students interested in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies, post/colonial, comparative and world literatures; Translation and Intercultural Studies; history, trauma, and memory studies; nation and narration; literature and place/space; literature, history, and politics.

• To enhance the students’ ability to analyse literary texts.
• To introduce the students to basic conceptual and aesthetic approaches found in translated Arabic literature.
• To raise the students’ critical awareness of themes and issues represented in Arabic literature of the 20th century.
• To enhance the students’ skills in writing academic essays in English on literature.
• To enhance the students’ critical writing of short ‘reflections’ on the texts with the aim of strengthening their literary analytical skills.
• To enhance the students’ skills in group work and presentations in a literary context.

The unit will be structured around the following themes:

Traditions of Arab Storytelling in Translation; Text/Paratext in Translated Arab literature; Dialect & Regional Identities in Translation; Culturally Specific Items of the Arab World in Translation; Translating Gender; Arab Women’s Stories in English Paratranslation; War Literature in Translation; Arab Literature under Censorship; Contexts of Exile in Translation; Stories as Archives of Memory.

These issues will be discussed in a broad range of Arabic literary texts in translation, with a focus on Modern and Post-modern writers of the Middle East and North Africa, including: Neghib Mahfouz (Egypt); Inaam Kachachi (Iraq); Jokha Alharthi (Oman); Hoda Barakat (Lebanon); Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt); Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine); Tayib Saleh (Sudan); Abdulrahman Munif (Saudi Arabia); Ibrahim Al-Koni (Libya); Ahlam Mosteghanemi (Algeria); Zakaria Tamer (Syria).

11 x 2 hr lectures-seminars
11 x 1 hr seminars

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Read, show understanding, and critical appreciation of selected examples of translated Arabic literature by prominent authors.
• Develop a conceptual framework for the understanding of major themes, concepts and ideas reflected in contemporary Arabic literature, particularly on community, memory & identity.
• Enhance their skills in reading and appreciating Arabic literary works in translation.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Apply basic tools of analysis and critique to selected literary texts.
• Writing academic essays in English on literature.
• Enhance their skills in writing short literary reviews in English about selected texts. 4- Develop their skills in group work and presentation.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Apply critical and analytical thinking skills to close readings of literary texts to understand and reflect on political and historical arguments, cultural debates, and literary symbols.
• Actively participate in class discussions, and the ability to work as part of a team or a group.
• Present written ideas clearly.
• Use library resources such as JSTOR and other databases and electronic journals.
• Apply time management skills to their studies.
• Effectively verbal and written communication.
• Effectively skills in writing short and long essays in English.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Apply critical and analytical thinking skills to close readings of literary texts to understand and reflect on political and historical arguments, cultural debates and literary motifs.
• Active participation in class discussions.
• The ability to work as part of a team or a group of students.
• Present written ideas clearly.
• Use library resources such as JSTOR and other databases and electronic journals.
• Apply time management skills to their studies.
• Effective verbal and written communication.
• Effective skills in writing short and long essays in English.

• Written feedback on essay within 14 working days of submission.
• Additional one-to-one feedback (during consultation hour or by making an appointment).
• Feedback on formative assessment (essay plan/outline).
• Final revision session and advice on the preparation for the final exam.

Abou Rached, Ruth. Reading Iraqi Women’s Novels in English translation: Iraqi Women’s Stories (New York/London: Routledge, 2021).

Accad, Evelyn. Sexuality and War: Literary Masks of the Middle East. (New York: NYUP, 1990).

Al-Hassan Golley, Nawar. Reading Arab Women’s Autobiographies: Shahrazad Tells her Story (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003).

Al-Musawi, Muhsin. ‘The Arabian Night’s in Contemporary World Cultures: Global Commodification, Translation and the Culture Industry (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021).

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble (N.Y.: Routledge, 2006, new edn).

Censi, Martina and Paniconi, Maria. The Migrant in Arab Literature: Displacement, Self-Discovery and Nostalgia (London: Routledge, 2022).

Elsadda, Hoda. Gender, Nation, and the Arabic Novel: Egypt, 1892-2008 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2012).

Hoigilt, Jacob and Mejdell, Gunvor. The Politics of Written Language in the Arab World: Writing Change (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2017).

Husni, Ronak and Newman, Daniel L. Modern Arabic Short Stories: A Bilingual Reader (London: Saqi Books, 2008).

Jayyusi, S. K. (ed.) Modern Arabic Poetry: An Anthology (NY: Columbia University Press, 1987).

Khalidi, Tarif (ed.) An Anthology of Arab Literature: From the Classical to the Modern (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022).

Massad, Joseph A. Desiring Arabs (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2007).

Neuwirth, Angelika et al. (eds.) Arabic Literature: Postmodern Perspectives (London: Saqi, 2010).

Valassopoulos, Anastasia. Contemporary Arab Women Writers: Cultural Expression in Context. (New York/London: Routledge, 2007).