Lilia Zouari - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lilia Zouari

TAELS The Tunisian Association of English Language Teachers, 2023

Born a female with a black skin in refugee camp in Jordon, experiencing the pain of the Palestini... more Born a female with a black skin in refugee camp in Jordon, experiencing the pain of the Palestinian diaspora, and growing up as a black female migrant in a Judeo-Christian white society, the Palestinian-American writer and poet, Souheir Hammad has experienced a multidimensional otherness marked by race, gender and ethnicity that she has committed herself to dramatize in her works. Though Hammad has grown up between two oppressive cultures that relegate her to the margins: an Arab masculine culture that denies female existence and a white Anglo-American pro-Israeli culture that preaches that "there is such place as Palestine"(Hammad 73), she could not resist the temptation of writing because for her "to write is to live". Her autobigrophical novel Drops of this Story (1996) to which she refers as 'my Intifada' stands out as a counter discourse to the hegemony of borders upon which the phallocentric discourses of colonialism, gender and racism are grounded. Yet, as an Arab in general and a Palestinian in particular Hammad has a problematic relationship with borders. Therefore, inspired by Anzaldua's concept of space and the deconstruction of borders this paper will read Hammad's novel as transborder mininarrative while dwelling on Hammad's dilemma as 'a border woman' who resorts to inbetweenness to construct herself as an off-centric transnational subject that cannot but deconstruct borders to resist the hegemony of gender and racism and to elude marginalization and her compelling need for borders dictated by the burden of representation to assert herself as a Palestinian and not just a 'Bint Arab'; that is as a subject who belongs to a specific ethnic group who has a national history, 'a house and a key' and 'a lost land', called home and a flag "[she] kneel[s] to"(Hammad 65)

The Hegemony of the Past in Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine (1989), 2022

Experiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past.... more Experiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. "Haunted by a sense of loss, some urge to reclaim to look back" (Rushdie 10), these exiled souls who lead a liminal existence between a lost past and a foreign present cannot but inscribe the past in their fictions. Indeed for them, the inscription of the past is a prerequisite for the restoration of their damaged selves and histories. Perceiving things from their shaky "fractured perceptions" (12), while overwhelmed by nostalgia and homesickness, these "wounded creatures" (Rushdie 12) end up creating idealized versions of homes and pasts or ie: "imaginary homelands" (10) and glorified pasts. Rushdie's theory can be applicable to many exiled writers but certainly not to Baharati Mukherjee. Mukherjee is one of the most prominent Indian American writers who is known by her controversial hypothesis of 'past erosion'. Rejecting hyphenization and heralding assimilation Mukherjee declares herself "an American citizen without hyphens" (33). Such audacious pronouncement that has distinguished her from her peers and incurred her some hostile reactions as well. Nevertheless, Mukherjee's fiction betrays her strong attachment to her past. Hence, this paper seeks to demonstrate that Mukherjee's most praised assimilation novel Jasmine (1989) that tells the story of Punjabi Joyti's 'American dream' coming true is one of the most past troubled narratives. It proceeds with dwelling on Mukherjee's theory of "past erosion" then moves to scrutinize the omnipresence of the past in the novel focusing on the protagonist's struggle with past memories.

The Construction of the Human Subject in a Digital Culture: identity as the Das Ding, 2022

This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity ... more This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity construction in this highly computerized era. It proceeds by dwelling on the shift from humanism and humanist ontology to a post-humanist consciousness and digital ontology. Then moves to consider the question whether virtual reality is concretizing the old Platonic dream of transcending the prison of the body since it allows us to break free from our bodies at least fleetingly and to submerge in world of digital sensibility or is further complicating the process of identity formation and our relationship to ourselves. Net dwellers often resort to the ever evolving virtual space to construct themselves in a desirable dream-like image. However, the contingent cyber space fuels the human fantasy rendering that desirable ephemeral cyber self an unreachable chimera. As Slavoj ŽiŽek concedes, withstanding 'the impossibility of an ultimate real point of reference of human desire', the cyber world which offers us an infinite set of options of self-construction through its various applications though grants us the opportunity to transcend our bodily existence is indeed generating a viral plague of fantasies rendering that identity which we chase in the virtual world the Das Ding, 'that lost object of desire that is supposed to be found and cannot be found again'.

This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity ... more This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity construction in this highly computerized era. It proceeds by dwelling on the shift from humanism and humanist ontology to a post-humanist consciousness and digital ontology. Then moves to consider the question whether virtual reality is concretizing the old Platonic dream of transcending the prison of the body since it allows us to break free from our bodies at least fleetingly and to submerge in world of digital sensibility or is further complicating the process of identity formation and our relationship to ourselves. Net dwellers often resort to the ever evolving virtual space to construct themselves in a desirable dream-like image. However, the contingent cyber space fuels the human fantasy rendering that desirable ephemeral cyber self an unreachable chimera. As Slavoj ŽiŽek concedes, withstanding 'the impossibility of an ultimate real point of reference of human desire', the cyber world which offers us an infinite set of options of self-construction through its various applications though grants us the opportunity to transcend our bodily existence is indeed generating a viral plague of fantasies rendering that identity which we chase in the virtual world the Das Ding, 'that lost object of desire that is supposed to be found and cannot be found again'.

FEMALE CARNALITY FROM "A MALE EYE": GOTHICIZING THE FEMALE DESIRE IN FAULKNER'S "AS I LAY DYING" AND "A ROSE FOR EMILY", 2021

The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground f... more The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground for debate. Faulkner's women have perplexed and intrigued scholars and critics, who invested their energy in deciphering his attitudes towards gender and women. While some scholars accuse Faulkner of misogyny and sexism, others perceive his inscription of the female desire in his texts as a challenge to the "Law of the Father" and to the discourse of patriarchy, which silences the female desire and relegates the female carnality to taboo. Focusing on "As I Lay Dying" (1930) and "A Rose for Emily" (1930), two-Faulknerian women-centred narratives that tell their protagonists' bodies' stories from the male author's "eye", and adopting a gothic perspective, this paper attempts to show that Faulkner's Gothicized inscription of the female body is neither empowering nor liberating. Rather, it betrays his masculine concerns about female sexuality, as well as his patriarchal Southern society's fear of the liberation of her body.

FEMALE CARNALITY FROM "A MALE EYE": GOTHICIZING THE FEMALE DESIRE IN FAULKNER'S "AS I LAY DYING" AND "A ROSE FOR EMILY", 2021

The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground f... more The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground for debate. Faulkner's women have perplexed and intrigued scholars and critics, who invested their energy in deciphering his attitudes towards gender and women. While some scholars accuse Faulkner of misogyny and sexism, others perceive his inscription of the female desire in his texts as a challenge to the "Law of the Father" and to the discourse of patriarchy, which silences the female desire and relegates the female carnality to taboo. Focusing on "As I Lay Dying" (1930) and "A Rose for Emily" (1930), two-Faulknerian women-centred narratives that tell their protagonists' bodies' stories from the male author's "eye", and adopting a gothic perspective, this paper attempts to show that Faulkner's Gothicized inscription of the female body is neither empowering nor liberating. Rather, it betrays his masculine concerns about female sexuality, as well as his patriarchal Southern society's fear of the liberation of her body.

Ever since the advent of feminism by the late nineteenth century, women have aspired for the erad... more Ever since the advent of feminism by the late nineteenth century, women have aspired for the eradication of all forms of gender discrimination and the promotion of equal rights. Yet, by the end of the twentieth century, feminism has been forced to admit its inadequacy to account for the diverse struggles of all women against the hegemony of patriarchy. Furthermore, feminists have realized that the introduction of progressive legislations cannot guarantee women's protection against gender violence as patriarchy continues to operate via the social institutions, ethics, traditions and religions. Within this context, this paper reads the Turkish writer Elif Shafak's novel Honor (2011) from a feminist perspective proceeding with a contemplation of the link between patriarchy, religion and gender violence then moving to cast light on one of the most subtle forms of gender violence in Turkey-honor killing by exploring the male biased ethical theory of male pride/female shame.

International Journal of Automation and Computing, 2015

xperiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. ... more xperiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. “Haunted by a sense of loss, some urge to reclaim to look back” (Rushdie 10), these exiled souls who lead a liminal existence between a lost past and a foreign present cannot but inscribe the past in their fictions. Indeed for them, the inscription of the past is a prerequisite for the restoration of their damaged selves and histories. Perceiving things from their shaky “fractured perceptions” (12), while overwhelmed by nostalgia and homesickness, these “wounded creatures” (Rushdie 12) end up creating idealized versions of homes and pasts or ie: “imaginary homelands” (10) and glorified pasts. Rushdie’s theory can be applicable to many exiled writers but certainly not to Baharati Mukherjee. Mukherjee is one of the most prominent Indian American writers who is known by her controversial hypothesis of ‘past erosion’. Rejecting hyphenization and heralding assimilation Mukherjee declares hers...

TAELS The Tunisian Association of English Language Teachers, 2023

Born a female with a black skin in refugee camp in Jordon, experiencing the pain of the Palestini... more Born a female with a black skin in refugee camp in Jordon, experiencing the pain of the Palestinian diaspora, and growing up as a black female migrant in a Judeo-Christian white society, the Palestinian-American writer and poet, Souheir Hammad has experienced a multidimensional otherness marked by race, gender and ethnicity that she has committed herself to dramatize in her works. Though Hammad has grown up between two oppressive cultures that relegate her to the margins: an Arab masculine culture that denies female existence and a white Anglo-American pro-Israeli culture that preaches that "there is such place as Palestine"(Hammad 73), she could not resist the temptation of writing because for her "to write is to live". Her autobigrophical novel Drops of this Story (1996) to which she refers as 'my Intifada' stands out as a counter discourse to the hegemony of borders upon which the phallocentric discourses of colonialism, gender and racism are grounded. Yet, as an Arab in general and a Palestinian in particular Hammad has a problematic relationship with borders. Therefore, inspired by Anzaldua's concept of space and the deconstruction of borders this paper will read Hammad's novel as transborder mininarrative while dwelling on Hammad's dilemma as 'a border woman' who resorts to inbetweenness to construct herself as an off-centric transnational subject that cannot but deconstruct borders to resist the hegemony of gender and racism and to elude marginalization and her compelling need for borders dictated by the burden of representation to assert herself as a Palestinian and not just a 'Bint Arab'; that is as a subject who belongs to a specific ethnic group who has a national history, 'a house and a key' and 'a lost land', called home and a flag "[she] kneel[s] to"(Hammad 65)

The Hegemony of the Past in Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine (1989), 2022

Experiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past.... more Experiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. "Haunted by a sense of loss, some urge to reclaim to look back" (Rushdie 10), these exiled souls who lead a liminal existence between a lost past and a foreign present cannot but inscribe the past in their fictions. Indeed for them, the inscription of the past is a prerequisite for the restoration of their damaged selves and histories. Perceiving things from their shaky "fractured perceptions" (12), while overwhelmed by nostalgia and homesickness, these "wounded creatures" (Rushdie 12) end up creating idealized versions of homes and pasts or ie: "imaginary homelands" (10) and glorified pasts. Rushdie's theory can be applicable to many exiled writers but certainly not to Baharati Mukherjee. Mukherjee is one of the most prominent Indian American writers who is known by her controversial hypothesis of 'past erosion'. Rejecting hyphenization and heralding assimilation Mukherjee declares herself "an American citizen without hyphens" (33). Such audacious pronouncement that has distinguished her from her peers and incurred her some hostile reactions as well. Nevertheless, Mukherjee's fiction betrays her strong attachment to her past. Hence, this paper seeks to demonstrate that Mukherjee's most praised assimilation novel Jasmine (1989) that tells the story of Punjabi Joyti's 'American dream' coming true is one of the most past troubled narratives. It proceeds with dwelling on Mukherjee's theory of "past erosion" then moves to scrutinize the omnipresence of the past in the novel focusing on the protagonist's struggle with past memories.

The Construction of the Human Subject in a Digital Culture: identity as the Das Ding, 2022

This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity ... more This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity construction in this highly computerized era. It proceeds by dwelling on the shift from humanism and humanist ontology to a post-humanist consciousness and digital ontology. Then moves to consider the question whether virtual reality is concretizing the old Platonic dream of transcending the prison of the body since it allows us to break free from our bodies at least fleetingly and to submerge in world of digital sensibility or is further complicating the process of identity formation and our relationship to ourselves. Net dwellers often resort to the ever evolving virtual space to construct themselves in a desirable dream-like image. However, the contingent cyber space fuels the human fantasy rendering that desirable ephemeral cyber self an unreachable chimera. As Slavoj ŽiŽek concedes, withstanding 'the impossibility of an ultimate real point of reference of human desire', the cyber world which offers us an infinite set of options of self-construction through its various applications though grants us the opportunity to transcend our bodily existence is indeed generating a viral plague of fantasies rendering that identity which we chase in the virtual world the Das Ding, 'that lost object of desire that is supposed to be found and cannot be found again'.

This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity ... more This paper dwells on the role the cyberspace and social networks play in the process of identity construction in this highly computerized era. It proceeds by dwelling on the shift from humanism and humanist ontology to a post-humanist consciousness and digital ontology. Then moves to consider the question whether virtual reality is concretizing the old Platonic dream of transcending the prison of the body since it allows us to break free from our bodies at least fleetingly and to submerge in world of digital sensibility or is further complicating the process of identity formation and our relationship to ourselves. Net dwellers often resort to the ever evolving virtual space to construct themselves in a desirable dream-like image. However, the contingent cyber space fuels the human fantasy rendering that desirable ephemeral cyber self an unreachable chimera. As Slavoj ŽiŽek concedes, withstanding 'the impossibility of an ultimate real point of reference of human desire', the cyber world which offers us an infinite set of options of self-construction through its various applications though grants us the opportunity to transcend our bodily existence is indeed generating a viral plague of fantasies rendering that identity which we chase in the virtual world the Das Ding, 'that lost object of desire that is supposed to be found and cannot be found again'.

FEMALE CARNALITY FROM "A MALE EYE": GOTHICIZING THE FEMALE DESIRE IN FAULKNER'S "AS I LAY DYING" AND "A ROSE FOR EMILY", 2021

The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground f... more The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground for debate. Faulkner's women have perplexed and intrigued scholars and critics, who invested their energy in deciphering his attitudes towards gender and women. While some scholars accuse Faulkner of misogyny and sexism, others perceive his inscription of the female desire in his texts as a challenge to the "Law of the Father" and to the discourse of patriarchy, which silences the female desire and relegates the female carnality to taboo. Focusing on "As I Lay Dying" (1930) and "A Rose for Emily" (1930), two-Faulknerian women-centred narratives that tell their protagonists' bodies' stories from the male author's "eye", and adopting a gothic perspective, this paper attempts to show that Faulkner's Gothicized inscription of the female body is neither empowering nor liberating. Rather, it betrays his masculine concerns about female sexuality, as well as his patriarchal Southern society's fear of the liberation of her body.

FEMALE CARNALITY FROM "A MALE EYE": GOTHICIZING THE FEMALE DESIRE IN FAULKNER'S "AS I LAY DYING" AND "A ROSE FOR EMILY", 2021

The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground f... more The issues of gender and sexuality in William Faulkner's fiction have provided a fertile ground for debate. Faulkner's women have perplexed and intrigued scholars and critics, who invested their energy in deciphering his attitudes towards gender and women. While some scholars accuse Faulkner of misogyny and sexism, others perceive his inscription of the female desire in his texts as a challenge to the "Law of the Father" and to the discourse of patriarchy, which silences the female desire and relegates the female carnality to taboo. Focusing on "As I Lay Dying" (1930) and "A Rose for Emily" (1930), two-Faulknerian women-centred narratives that tell their protagonists' bodies' stories from the male author's "eye", and adopting a gothic perspective, this paper attempts to show that Faulkner's Gothicized inscription of the female body is neither empowering nor liberating. Rather, it betrays his masculine concerns about female sexuality, as well as his patriarchal Southern society's fear of the liberation of her body.

Ever since the advent of feminism by the late nineteenth century, women have aspired for the erad... more Ever since the advent of feminism by the late nineteenth century, women have aspired for the eradication of all forms of gender discrimination and the promotion of equal rights. Yet, by the end of the twentieth century, feminism has been forced to admit its inadequacy to account for the diverse struggles of all women against the hegemony of patriarchy. Furthermore, feminists have realized that the introduction of progressive legislations cannot guarantee women's protection against gender violence as patriarchy continues to operate via the social institutions, ethics, traditions and religions. Within this context, this paper reads the Turkish writer Elif Shafak's novel Honor (2011) from a feminist perspective proceeding with a contemplation of the link between patriarchy, religion and gender violence then moving to cast light on one of the most subtle forms of gender violence in Turkey-honor killing by exploring the male biased ethical theory of male pride/female shame.

International Journal of Automation and Computing, 2015

xperiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. ... more xperiencing alienation and displacement exiled writers have a specific relationship to the past. “Haunted by a sense of loss, some urge to reclaim to look back” (Rushdie 10), these exiled souls who lead a liminal existence between a lost past and a foreign present cannot but inscribe the past in their fictions. Indeed for them, the inscription of the past is a prerequisite for the restoration of their damaged selves and histories. Perceiving things from their shaky “fractured perceptions” (12), while overwhelmed by nostalgia and homesickness, these “wounded creatures” (Rushdie 12) end up creating idealized versions of homes and pasts or ie: “imaginary homelands” (10) and glorified pasts. Rushdie’s theory can be applicable to many exiled writers but certainly not to Baharati Mukherjee. Mukherjee is one of the most prominent Indian American writers who is known by her controversial hypothesis of ‘past erosion’. Rejecting hyphenization and heralding assimilation Mukherjee declares hers...