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Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti
The Middle East map has undergone a remarkable change since the rise of geopolitical borders in the early twentieth century. These borders constructed by colonial powers and maintained by postcolonial ones have not only divided the region into nation-states but have also entailed boundaries between...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2011
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| _version_ | 1867613413658591232 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki |
| author_browse | Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki |
| author_facet | Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki |
| author_sort | Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. |
| description | The Middle East map has undergone a remarkable change since the rise of geopolitical borders in the early twentieth century. These borders constructed by colonial powers and maintained by postcolonial ones have not only divided the region into nation-states but have also entailed boundaries between people on the basis of national, cultural, linguistic and religious differences. This study examines how borders and boundaries are contested and subverted in two Third World narrative productions set in the Middle East: In an Antique Land (1992) by the Indian-Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh and Ra'aytu RÄ m AllÄ h (1997), a memoir by the Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti (translated as I Saw Ramallah [2000] by the Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif). In the light of Edward Said's recurrent reference to the interlink between narrative and geopolitics, this comparative study examines how histories in both works challenge spatial and temporal configurations interlocked with these boundariesâ histories that are left out of mainstream narratives. Both works contest geopolitical maps enforced by power structures by foregroundingâ what Joel Migdal callsâ â people's mental maps.â This study examines Ghosh and Barghouti's shared subversive approach to this issue but also highlights instances where they depart in terms of worldview and stylistic approach. Moreover, it sheds light on the subversive role of literary and stylistic elements in both works thereby revealing the overlap between the two texts. This study crosses disciplinary boundaries and reveals how literature bears on geopolitics through two works that uncover multiple maps of the region. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-1921 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:35:44.926Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publishDateRange | 2011 |
| publishDateSort | 2011 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-1921 Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki The Middle East map has undergone a remarkable change since the rise of geopolitical borders in the early twentieth century. These borders constructed by colonial powers and maintained by postcolonial ones have not only divided the region into nation-states but have also entailed boundaries between people on the basis of national, cultural, linguistic and religious differences. This study examines how borders and boundaries are contested and subverted in two Third World narrative productions set in the Middle East: In an Antique Land (1992) by the Indian-Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh and Ra'aytu RÄ m AllÄ h (1997), a memoir by the Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti (translated as I Saw Ramallah [2000] by the Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif). In the light of Edward Said's recurrent reference to the interlink between narrative and geopolitics, this comparative study examines how histories in both works challenge spatial and temporal configurations interlocked with these boundariesâ histories that are left out of mainstream narratives. Both works contest geopolitical maps enforced by power structures by foregroundingâ what Joel Migdal callsâ â people's mental maps.â This study examines Ghosh and Barghouti's shared subversive approach to this issue but also highlights instances where they depart in terms of worldview and stylistic approach. Moreover, it sheds light on the subversive role of literary and stylistic elements in both works thereby revealing the overlap between the two texts. This study crosses disciplinary boundaries and reveals how literature bears on geopolitics through two works that uncover multiple maps of the region. 2011-02-01T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/922 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/1921/viewcontent/Thesis.pdf The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Ghosh Amitav Cultural identity |
| spellingShingle | Ghosh Amitav Cultural identity Abd El-Barr, Reem Yasser Zaki Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title | Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title_full | Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title_fullStr | Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title_short | Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti |
| title_sort | remapping borders and boundaries in the middle east amitav ghosh and mourid barghouti |
| topic | Ghosh Amitav Cultural identity |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/922 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/1921/viewcontent/Thesis.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abdelbarrreemyasserzaki remappingbordersandboundariesinthemiddleeastamitavghoshandmouridbarghouti |