Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
5 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Toward a Resuscitation of Postcolonial Theory: Reshaping Homi Bhabha's Colonial Discourse Within an Arabic Context(University of Sussex, 2024) Althobaiti, Hissah; Masterson, JohnThis thesis explores the colonial/postcolonial discourse articulated by Homi Bhabha, with a specific emphasis on the concept of mimicry as it is performed in Arabic contexts. Departing from the conventional method of applying theory to literary texts, I utilise fiction to both challenge and augment Bhabha’s notion of colonial mimicry within the Arab world in light of his totalising tendency to broaden the scope of his study (both spatially and temporally) without adequate consideration or contextualisation. To achieve this, four writers and texts are selected: Ali Bader’s The Tobacco Keeper (2008; trans. 2011), Yasmina Khadra’s What the Day Owes the Night (2008; trans. 2010), Sahar Khalifeh’s The End of Spring (2004; trans. 2008), and Sayed Kashua’s Dancing Arabs (2002; trans. 2004). These emerge from diverse geo-political locations such as Iraq, Algeria and Palestine, with distinctive histories of colonialism and its afterlives. I investigate the extent to which Bhabha’s conceptualisations of ‘transitive’ and ‘intransitive’ resistance materially translate into effective forms of opposition for the colonised. In this, I seek to expose, what I, along with other critics, see as Bhabha’s mythologisation of some excessively abstract concepts. I do so by foregrounding and analysing the concrete hurdles that confront the mimic men featured in my chosen novels as they are performing and/or existing in various interstitial positions/locations. The thesis proposes that these writers and their work demonstrate some inherent complexities and/or risks when it comes to applying Bhabha’s resistance tool/s. They encompass, but are not limited to, the emergence of degrees of mimicry ranging from resistance to complicity, the conditions of mimicry, the act of authorisation, the distinction between mimicry and camouflage, and self-hatred as an aftermath of mimicry. These are all core preoccupations of this study. This thesis identifies the performance of mimicry within Arabic contexts as ensnared by hindering factors that directly impede its efficacy. It asserts that this process commences with the imposition of prerequisites, progresses through stages of exclusion and estrangement, and ultimately concludes with experiences of rejection and self-revulsion.15 0Item Restricted And I Become Her(Dartmouth College, 2024-05) Almaghrabi, Alhanouf; Lelchuk, Saul; Kreiger, Barbara; Carabatsos, EugenieThis thesis is a novel written in the first-person point of view with two characters, Jamila and Bella. The two protagonists are identical twins who got separated at birth. The novel addresses cultural effects and explores the role of upbringing in shaping the twins' identities. Jamila is raised by her father in Saudi Arabia while Bella is raised by her mother in the United States. The storyline starts when the two sisters meet in Atlanta, Georgia, 18 years after the separation. Jamila studies business administration at Georgia Tech while Bella studies creative writing at SCAD. Each one of them get entangled in a love triangle that overlaps with the other and discover the truth about their being twins. In a twisted turn of events, they decide to trade places with one another and consider switching their fiancées. They both experience how it feels to be the other twin, which inspires the name of the novel, And I Become Her. Through the life swap, the readers live through the twins as they discover cross-cultural aspects and explore intriguing questions about identity and love.26 0Item Restricted The Shadow of a Cane(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-28) Alzahrani, Razan; Gibbs, JonathanThis dissertation, part of the novel "The Shadow of a Cane," explores Bader's life in a small southern Saudi Arabian town. Centered on family dynamics, it delves into Bader's birth family and the one he creates, depicting their mirrored journeys. The narrative encompasses themes of fathers and sons, lost love, forgiveness, and aging, unfolding over approximately seventy years. This section, situated in the novel's first half, has been condensed to meet the dissertation's length requirement while providing insight into Bader's marriage and the family dynamics in Saudi society.20 0Item Restricted Odd Women Out: Transgression, Performance, and Progress in Victorian Fiction.(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-18) Abdulhaq, Hala Mahmoud; Reeder, Jessie“Odd Women Out: Transgression, Performance, and Progress in Victorian Fiction” explores the emergence of transgressive female characters who challenge traditional gender roles. This dissertation examines the limitations of the domestic model in terms of marriage and Victorian cultural values based on arbitrary social structures. Therefore, rebellious female characters reflect dissatisfaction with their status as they refuse to adopt domestic ideologies that stifle their independence. Though their transgressions of social and political boundaries threaten the status quo, they open the door to changes that allow women’s development. Accordingly, these female characters seek alternative routes by breaking social, moral, and legal boundaries. In this dissertation, I demonstrate in what manner women’s narratives provide an alternative model of womanhood and independence, thereby subverting the ideal image of middle-class women. Additionally, I illustrate by what means transgressing women shift narrative structures that fragment the traditional domestic plot and offer new possibilities for women’s progress. This dissertation focuses on the rise of the individual character in the context of female experiences, including Lucy in Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, Maggie in George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, Lady Audley in Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret, and Lyndall in Olive Schreiner’s The Story of an African Farm. This project attempts to provide new insights into nineteenth-century critical studies and Victorian gender scholarship in relation to narrative forms.60 0Item Restricted TEACHING ANGLOPHONE LITERATURE TO NON-NATIVE STUDENTS: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS(2023-04-06) Alnashwan, Afnan Omar; Linkon, Sherry LeeTeaching English-language novels to non-native speakers poses unique difficulties that traditional teaching approaches cannot address. These challenges include not only language barriers but also the need to analyze unfamiliar literature and culture, which students may not have been introduced to in their prior education. As a result, students are expected to memorize and repeat knowledge without developing their literary skills. This thesis investigates these challenges and the limitations of the traditional approach, emphasizing an alternative student- centered, reflexive learning method. It suggests using Toni Morrison's novel Beloved as a primary text, which can provide non-native students with a better understanding of the cultural and social contexts that often shape literature. Through critical analysis of characters’ cultural logic and elements that shape social structures, students can develop their skills and engage meaningfully with the material.9 0