BA Arabic Studies

This course aims to introduce students to the language, style, and themes of postcolonial Arab world literature through a curated selection of literary texts by prominent authors from across the Arab world, all presented in English translation. We will explore the characteristics and the significance of the ‘postcolonial voice’ in Arabic literature that emerged in the wake of national independence and the end of colonial rule. Additionally, we will analyse key theoretical concepts within the framework of postcolonial literary criticism.  

The course will also enhance students’ understanding of the political, historical, and cultural contexts that shape the postcolonial approach to Arab world literature. It will consist of weekly lectures and seminars. While the lectures will be dedicated to the analysis of the novels, the seminars will engage with a selection of shorter texts, facilitating in-depth discussion and critical analysis.  

Pre-requisite unit for language students: Arabic year 1 

No requisites for non-language students.

• To enhance the student’s ability to analyze literary texts.
• To introduce the students to basic conceptual and aesthetic approaches found in postcolonial Arab world literature.  
• To raise the student’s critical awareness of themes and issues represented in a variety of sub-genres of Arab world literature.
• To enhance the students’ skills in writing academic essays in English on literature.
• To enhance the students’ critical writing of short reflections on different postcolonial texts with the aim of strengthening their literary analytical skills; to enhance the student’s skills in group work and presentations in a literary context.  

The unit will include novels and texts by the following writers:

Najib Mahfouz (Egypt);Tayeb Salih (Sudan); Sahar Khalifeh (Palestine); Leila Abouzeid (Morocco); Rashid Boudjedra (Algeria). 

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

• Read, demonstrate understanding and contextualize selected texts of translated Arab world literature by prominent authors, as well as engage with scholarly works on the set themes. 
• Develop a conceptual framework for the understanding of major themes and ideas reflected in postcolonial Arab world literature.
• Enhance their skills in analysing and appreciating Arab world literary works in the original language as well as the translated texts.

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 engaging with different postcolonial texts that constitute the theoretical framework of Postcolonial Studies and apply their knowledge and understanding to contemporary events in the Arab world within both the fictional and non-fictional contexts.  
• Articulate the relationship between literature and identity, exploring themes of race, gender, and class in diverse texts.
• Formulate research questions and conduct independent investigations into selected literary works.
• Evaluate the impact of historical events on literary production and narrative structures.
• Reflect on personal reading experiences and their influence on understanding broader literary and cultural movements.

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

• Apply critical and analytical thinking skills to close readings of literary texts. 
• Understand and reflect on political and historical arguments, cultural debates, and literary motifs and symbols as essential elements in modern Arabic literature.
• Actively participate in class discussions, and the ability to work as part of a team or a group of students.
• Present written and verbal 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 and presentation of ideas. 
• Effective 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 in order to understand and reflect on political and historical arguments, cultural discussions, and literary motifs and symbols.
• Active participation in class discussions, and the ability to work as part of a team or a group of students.
• Present written and spoken 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 in Arabic and English. 
• Effective skills in writing short and long essays in English. 

Resit Assessment

• Ashcroft, Bill et al. (eds.) The Post-colonial Studies Reader (London: Routledge, 2006 2nd edn.)
• Khalifeh, Sahar. Wild Thorns. T. Le Gassick and E. Fernea (trans.) (London: Saqi Books, 1985).
• Mahfuz, Najib. Autumn Quail. R. Allen (trans.) (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1985).
• Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized. Greenfield, H. (trans.) (Plunkett Lake Press, 2013 edn.)
• Musawi, Muhsin J. The Postcolonial Arabic Novel: Debating Ambivalence (Leiden: Brill 2003).
• Salih, Tayeb. Season of Migration to the North. D. Johnson-Davies (trans.) London: Penguin Classics (2003 edn.)
• Starkey, Paul. Modern Arabic Literature (Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2006).
• Abouzeid, Leila. Year of the Elephant: A Moroccan Woman’s Journey toward Independence. In: The Year of the Elephant and Other Stories. B. Parmenter (trans.) Austin: University of Texas Press (2009).  
• Boudjedra, Rashid. The Barbary Figs. Andre Nafiss-Sahely (trans.) Haus Publishing, 2013.