Latef Berzenji - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Latef Berzenji

Journal of University of Human Development

Although slavery has ended, the African-American people remained the object of oppression, violen... more Although slavery has ended, the African-American people remained the object of oppression, violence, and racism in the white countries, particularly America, which is the setting of the novel. Beloved, which was written in 1987 by Toni Morison, depicts the multiple sorts of oppression that black people have experienced in America by their white oppressors. On the other hand, Fanon argues that black people in white societies are reduced to mere objects and exploited endlessly, therefore, they develop identity crises and wear white masks to win the approval or equal rights and recognition of the white people. However, regardless of their efforts and endeavors, the black people cannot change white man’s perception about them and remain an alien to them. This paper aims at representing the adversities black people encounter in white societies by applying Fanon’s ideas of psychoanalysis to Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. The paper is a psychoanalytic study, where the reasons behind the a...

International Journal of Literature and Arts, 2016

This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim's life in Ayad A... more This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim's life in Ayad Akhtar's debut novel, American Dervish. The novel expounds the failure of the Muslim character, Hayat Shah, to integrate himself into a new communal life as he still holds on the remnant beliefs he has acquired from his earlier life in Pakistan, his home country. Hayat embodies the newer generation whereas his father embodies the older one. They behave identically in pursuing the similar way in that Hayat discovers his self in befriending the Jewish girl Rachel and in giving up the Islamic creeds, taught by his mentor Mina; simultaneously, his father discovers his individuality in accompanying his lifetime workmate, Nathan Wolfsohn, a Jewish professor. Ayad Akhtar intends to highlight the behaviour of the immigrants, who face the teething difficulties in their lives until they discover a way to integrate themselves into their new community. The study adopts the cultural approach in analysing the novel.

Most of Margaret Atwood's novels depict women facing external and internal obstacles in their... more Most of Margaret Atwood's novels depict women facing external and internal obstacles in their attempt to attain self-realisation as they are internally divided because of encountering the harsh realities of life, or living in a community ruled by patriarchal conventions. Many women characters, especially Atwood's protagonists, suffer from psychic split because of specific external factors and are haunted by mental and emotional traumas. This paper studies Atwood's Surfacing (1972) by examining the events that take place in the protagonist's mind as part of her long-running quest for wholeness; highlighting the mental process she undergoes to achieve such an aim. As a feminist writer, Atwood's primary aim is to explore women's inner psyche, their conflicts and search for identification. The writer wants to highlight the terrifying gap existing between man and woman. The paper attempts to assert that self-realization is at the heart of her novel under considera...

This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad A... more This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad Akhtar's debut novel, American Dervish . The novel expounds the failure of the Muslim character, Hayat Shah, to integrate himself into a new communal life as he still holds on the remnant beliefs he has acquired from his earlier life in Pakistan, his home country. Hayat embodies the newer generation whereas his father embodies the older one. They behave identically in pursuing the similar way in that Hayat discovers his self in befriending the Jewish girl Rachel and in giving up the Islamic creeds, taught by his mentor Mina; simultaneously, his father discovers his individuality in accompanying his lifetime workmate, Nathan Wolfsohn, a Jewish professor. Ayad Akhtar intends to highlight the behaviour of the immigrants, who face the teething difficulties in their lives until they discover a way to integrate themselves into their new community. The study adopts the cultural approach in analysing the novel.

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, Mar 8, 2016

Objective: This research investigated the role of Islamic appraisals, trauma-related appraisals, ... more Objective: This research investigated the role of Islamic appraisals, trauma-related appraisals, and religious coping in Muslim trauma survivors. Method: We report 2 studies of Muslim trauma survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) living in the United Kingdom (Study 1) and a sample of Muslim trauma survivors living in Northern Iraq (Study 2). In both studies participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, Brief Religious Coping Scale, Islamic Appraisal Questionnaire, and Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory in Arabic. Results: First, it was found that negative religious coping differentiated between trauma survivors with and without PTSD (Study 1) and was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Second, negative Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with greater PTSD symptoms whereas positive Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with fewer PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Third, negative trauma-related appraisals c...

Journal of University of Human Development

Although slavery has ended, the African-American people remained the object of oppression, violen... more Although slavery has ended, the African-American people remained the object of oppression, violence, and racism in the white countries, particularly America, which is the setting of the novel. Beloved, which was written in 1987 by Toni Morison, depicts the multiple sorts of oppression that black people have experienced in America by their white oppressors. On the other hand, Fanon argues that black people in white societies are reduced to mere objects and exploited endlessly, therefore, they develop identity crises and wear white masks to win the approval or equal rights and recognition of the white people. However, regardless of their efforts and endeavors, the black people cannot change white man’s perception about them and remain an alien to them. This paper aims at representing the adversities black people encounter in white societies by applying Fanon’s ideas of psychoanalysis to Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. The paper is a psychoanalytic study, where the reasons behind the a...

International Journal of Literature and Arts, 2016

This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim's life in Ayad A... more This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim's life in Ayad Akhtar's debut novel, American Dervish. The novel expounds the failure of the Muslim character, Hayat Shah, to integrate himself into a new communal life as he still holds on the remnant beliefs he has acquired from his earlier life in Pakistan, his home country. Hayat embodies the newer generation whereas his father embodies the older one. They behave identically in pursuing the similar way in that Hayat discovers his self in befriending the Jewish girl Rachel and in giving up the Islamic creeds, taught by his mentor Mina; simultaneously, his father discovers his individuality in accompanying his lifetime workmate, Nathan Wolfsohn, a Jewish professor. Ayad Akhtar intends to highlight the behaviour of the immigrants, who face the teething difficulties in their lives until they discover a way to integrate themselves into their new community. The study adopts the cultural approach in analysing the novel.

Most of Margaret Atwood's novels depict women facing external and internal obstacles in their... more Most of Margaret Atwood's novels depict women facing external and internal obstacles in their attempt to attain self-realisation as they are internally divided because of encountering the harsh realities of life, or living in a community ruled by patriarchal conventions. Many women characters, especially Atwood's protagonists, suffer from psychic split because of specific external factors and are haunted by mental and emotional traumas. This paper studies Atwood's Surfacing (1972) by examining the events that take place in the protagonist's mind as part of her long-running quest for wholeness; highlighting the mental process she undergoes to achieve such an aim. As a feminist writer, Atwood's primary aim is to explore women's inner psyche, their conflicts and search for identification. The writer wants to highlight the terrifying gap existing between man and woman. The paper attempts to assert that self-realization is at the heart of her novel under considera...

This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad A... more This study examines the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad Akhtar's debut novel, American Dervish . The novel expounds the failure of the Muslim character, Hayat Shah, to integrate himself into a new communal life as he still holds on the remnant beliefs he has acquired from his earlier life in Pakistan, his home country. Hayat embodies the newer generation whereas his father embodies the older one. They behave identically in pursuing the similar way in that Hayat discovers his self in befriending the Jewish girl Rachel and in giving up the Islamic creeds, taught by his mentor Mina; simultaneously, his father discovers his individuality in accompanying his lifetime workmate, Nathan Wolfsohn, a Jewish professor. Ayad Akhtar intends to highlight the behaviour of the immigrants, who face the teething difficulties in their lives until they discover a way to integrate themselves into their new community. The study adopts the cultural approach in analysing the novel.

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, Mar 8, 2016

Objective: This research investigated the role of Islamic appraisals, trauma-related appraisals, ... more Objective: This research investigated the role of Islamic appraisals, trauma-related appraisals, and religious coping in Muslim trauma survivors. Method: We report 2 studies of Muslim trauma survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) living in the United Kingdom (Study 1) and a sample of Muslim trauma survivors living in Northern Iraq (Study 2). In both studies participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, Brief Religious Coping Scale, Islamic Appraisal Questionnaire, and Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory in Arabic. Results: First, it was found that negative religious coping differentiated between trauma survivors with and without PTSD (Study 1) and was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Second, negative Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with greater PTSD symptoms whereas positive Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with fewer PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Third, negative trauma-related appraisals c...