Rhetoric of Rebellion in Arab Women’s Literature: Storytelling and women's empowerment in Mernissi's "Dreams of trespass"

Subject Area

Arabic and Islamic Studies

Abstract

For many Arab women like the heroine of "Dreams of trespass", a new level of awareness begins when they decide to overcome the limiting meaning assigned to the female in a patriarchal and essentially deceptive society. Mernissi's widely acclaimed autobiography "Dreams of Trespass "is deeply linked to this major theme. In this paper I will focus on how the writer illustrates the scope of the problem of women’s disempowerment in the Arab world by using Scheherazade's art of storytelling as a vehicle for refuting hegemonic and patriarchal domination.

Brief Bio Note

Mustapha Sami teaches French and Arabic and also serves as a coordinator of both French and Arabic programs at Emmanuel College. His research interests span the wide field of postcolonial North African Literature (Morocco) written in both Arabic and French.

Keywords

Women’s Literature, Arab world, storytelling, Rebellion, Scheherazade, empowerment, patriarchal, Trespass, autobiography, deceptive society

Location

Room 212

Presentation Year

2018

Start Date

4-5-2018 4:05 PM

Embargo

11-5-2017

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Apr 5th, 4:05 PM

Rhetoric of Rebellion in Arab Women’s Literature: Storytelling and women's empowerment in Mernissi's "Dreams of trespass"

Room 212

For many Arab women like the heroine of "Dreams of trespass", a new level of awareness begins when they decide to overcome the limiting meaning assigned to the female in a patriarchal and essentially deceptive society. Mernissi's widely acclaimed autobiography "Dreams of Trespass "is deeply linked to this major theme. In this paper I will focus on how the writer illustrates the scope of the problem of women’s disempowerment in the Arab world by using Scheherazade's art of storytelling as a vehicle for refuting hegemonic and patriarchal domination.