Politics of language and Orientalism in Ahdaf Soueif’s The Map of Love

Details

Supervisors

Herbillon, Marie

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master de spécialisation en études de genre

Abstract

This thesis is a literary analysis of the postcolonial novel "The Map of Love", written by the English-speaking Egyptian author, Ahdaf Soueif. It consists of two parts: The first chapter explores the interactions between language and politics in (post)colonial society. After analyzing code-switching and its effects on the story, I describe how translation influences literary practices. The second chapter examines how Orientalist and colonial discourses represent the Middle East, its people, especially Arab women. In addition to Orientalism, I address the instrumentalization of the feminist language by colonialism. Merging gender with postcolonial studies, this thesis develops the themes of language, hybridity, and difference.