Misrepresentation of the Other: A Postcolonial Study in Selected Arab and American Novels

The paper sheds light on one of the important concepts in contemporary literature which tackles the representation of the Other in selected Arabic and American literary products. The representation of the other holds many misrepresentations and stereotypes, both varying and fixed; as such, the study of the literary representations of the other which comes as a remedy many fixed and prevalent frameworks between the self and the other which deals with the construction of an individual on cultural, political and social levels. The study tackles a topic of great importance for contemporary literary studies and critiques, especially at the level of national literature. The research aims to discuss how Arab writers envision the concept of the Other, on one hand; and it argues how American writers projects the concept in their novels, on the other hand. It also gives an insight about Arabs and Americans viewing the term the self and other or utilize the term Imagology which is very significant because it differentiates between the Oriental and Western points of view. The paper is restricted to argue the representation of the other in these four novels. Finally, the research ends up with conclusion and recommendations for further researches.

Exploring the Postcolonial Concept through the Eye of European Expansionism and Imperialism

The Postcolonial study has become very popular—it deals with colonial issues, cultural hegemony, imperialist subjects, and subservient topics. The postcolonial analysis mainly mostly involves Africa, America, Asia, and the Middle East. The imperial forces like England and France were the prominent actors in this venture. Thus, the postcolonial began after these imperial forces had left their former colonies. The formerly colonized countries were given political independence, and they began to govern themselves. However, the postcolonial study began to gain significant attention from Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), in which he explains how Africa, the Middle East, and Asia were established on the western Imperialist structure. Edward Said explains exclusively that Orientalism vehemently accentuates the disparity between the west, their theories, social orders, literary pieces, the orient political history, tradition, norms, ideology, religion, and destiny. It dramatically reflects how the colonized adapted the cultural identity of their colonizers. The postcolonialism has been used to remember a set of conjectures and practices—and it also explains how colonialism has become a prominent and constant record. This article explores the postcolonial study, delineates the available resources that present the idea of postcolonialism, colonialism, and the effect of the Western imperialist system on the former colonies. The article also reflects Homi Bhabha’s cultural hybridity; he explains how mimicry plays a significant role in making the colonized adopt the culture of their colonizers.

Exploring the Postcolonial Concept through the Eye of European Expansionism and Imperialism

The Postcolonial study has become very popular—it deals with colonial issues, cultural hegemony, imperialist subjects, and subservient topics. The postcolonial analysis mainly mostly involves Africa, America, Asia, and the Middle East. The imperial forces like England and France were the prominent actors in this venture. Thus, the postcolonial began after these imperial forces had left their former colonies. The formerly colonized countries were given political independence, and they began to govern themselves. However, the postcolonial study began to gain significant attention from Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), in which he explains how Africa, the Middle East, and Asia were established on the western Imperialist structure. Edward Said explains exclusively that Orientalism vehemently accentuates the disparity between the west, their theories, social orders, literary pieces, the orient political history, tradition, norms, ideology, religion, and destiny. It dramatically reflects how the colonized adapted the cultural identity of their colonizers. The postcolonialism has been used to remember a set of conjectures and practices—and it also explains how colonialism has become a prominent and constant record. This article explores the postcolonial study, delineates the available resources that present the idea of postcolonialism, colonialism, and the effect of the Western imperialist system on the former colonies. The article also reflects Homi Bhabha’s cultural hybridity; he explains how mimicry plays a significant role in making the colonized adopt the culture of their colonizers.

Ambivalence of Cosmopolitanism: A Study of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Writing

Although labeled as an immigrant writer, Ishiguro is not a typical one. His writing is not a repetition or successor of the diasporic literature. The various subjects and diversified locations of his works have been appropriately corresponded to his claim as “a kind of homeless writer”. He has always been locating himself in different cultures as well as engaged in a de-cultural writing, providing insights into the relationship between the subjective and the other, which shows his ambivalence dangling between different cultures. It is arguable that Ishiguro has several “deaths” before becoming a cosmopolitan. Nevertheless, the “killed” identity is inextirpable. The longing for subjectivity in his novels does not directly come from the cosmopolitan identity with whom he identified. Reading Ishiguro in the global context enables the detection of his compromise as a cosmopolitan writer constructed by a deliberate de-privileging and cultural alienation. Cosmopolitanism itself has been a paradoxical term in that its orientation points to the mutually inclusive “world” and “region”. Its implication is full of irreconcilable resistance and negotiation. The study is going to explore the ambivalence of cosmopolitanism in Ishiguro’s writing, to trace the progress of the making of the novelist as a cosmopolitan as well as embracing multiple cultures but denies clear boundaries, and to widen the scope of the discussion of globalization, localization, diasporic study, or postcolonial study.

Neo-Colonialist critique of Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Kincaid's A Small Place: A Comparative Postcolonial Study

With a specific focus on two different novels from different continents, the study analyzes the current American neocolonialist hegemonic behavior, which is causing developing countries to remain in a doldrum. The data is based upon the comparative analysis of selected textual paragraphs taken from Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Kincaid's A Small Place. Both Mohsin Hamid and Jamaica Kincaid assert that due to the American neo-colonialist regime, indigenous cultures of so many countries of the African and Asian continent have suffered a lot. Theoretical insights for this research have been drawn from Kwame Nkrumah's concept of neo-colonialism. Nkrumah defined neocolonialism as the exploitation of former colonial subjects by European conquerors for political, economic, cultural, ideological, and military gain. The research concludes that although with the inception of the United Nations Organization the colonialism has formally come to an end still the American neo-colonial supremacy is disturbing the people of once colonized countries through various economic, political, and ideological maneuverings.

Hibriditas, Mimikri, dan Ambivalensi dalam Novel Layla Karya Candra Malik dan Relevansinya dalam Pemelajaran Bahasa Indonesia di SMA: Kajian Poskolonialisme

This study aims to examine postcolonialism in Candra Malik's novel Layla. Postcolonialism is meant by forms of hybridity, mimicry and ambivalence. In addition, this study will also link the relevance of postcolonialism in Layla with Indonesian language learning in high school. This study used descriptive qualitative method. This method is used to describe and explain forms of hybridity, mimicry, and ambivalence in Candra Malik's Layla and its relevance to Indonesian language learning in high school. The strategy used is content analysis. The results showed that there were forms of hybridity in the form of social status, education, marriage and food. The forms of mimicry include marriage, language, clothing, lifestyle, names and buildings. The form of ambivalence is in the form of work, education and household. Postcolonialism in Layla has relevance to Indonesian language learning in high school. The results of the postcolonial study of Layla can be used as teaching material on the basic competence of analyzing the language of a story or historical novel in XII grade. AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji poskolonialisme dalam novel Layla karya Candra Malik. Poskolonialisme yang dimaksud adalah bentuk-bentuk hibriditas, mimikri, dan ambivalensi. Selain itu, penelitian ini juga akan mengaitkan relevansi poskolonialisme dalam novel Layla dengan pemelajaran bahasa Indonesia di SMA. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif. Metode tersebut digunakan untuk mendeskripsikan dan menjelaskan bentuk-bentuk hibriditas, mimikri, dan ambivalensi dalam novel Layla dan relevansinya dengan pemelajaran bahasa Indonesia di SMA. Strategi yang digunakan adalah analisis konten/isi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat bentuk hibriditas berupa status sosial, pendidikan, pernikahan, dan makanan. Bentuk mimikri berupa pernikahan, bahasa, pakaian, gaya hidup, nama, dan bangunan. Bentuk ambivalensi berupa pekerjaan, pendidikan, dan rumah tangga. Poskolonialisme dalam novel Layla memiliki relevansi dengan pemelajaran bahasa Indonesia di SMA. Hasil kajian poskolonial novel Layla ini dapat dijadikan bahan ajar untuk menganalisis secara kebahasaan cerita atau novel sejarah di kelas XII.

Representing Muslims: A Postcolonial Study of Mohammed Hanif's Red Birds

This research study highlights the role of Mohammed Hanif as a native informer in representing his own culture and religion, Islam, in his novel, Red Birds (2018). Edward Said's postcolonial theory, as presented in Orientalism (1979) and Covering Islam (1997), is applied as a tool to analyze the novel textually and contextually. The research methodology is inductive and exploratory. According to Said (1979), political knowledge may influence a state's policies about a region, as is evident in Red Birds. Hanif (2018) uses Major Ellie and Momo in the novel as his mouthpieces in depicting and representing Muslims as backwards and savages. This approach of Hanif's (2018) towards Muslims serves the narrative of the Neo-Orientalists. As Dabashi (2011), argues that Neo-Orientalists have historically used diaspora authors for their purposes. Hanif, as a native informer, has misrepresented Islam in Red Birds (2018). Hanif (2018) portrays Islam as an outdated religion. The modern world need not propagate any religion or culture negatively. Instead, we need flexibility and acceptance for peaceful co-existence.

Issue of Identity in Jamaica's A Small Place and Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A Comparative Postcolonial Study

The study analyzes the issue of identity under postcolonialism by comparing two postcolonial novels from different countries. The data consists of selected textual passages taken from the two works to invoke comparative study. Hamid presents that America is acting like a Neo-colonial power to show its superiority, while Kincaid evinces the realistic manner that depicts the inferiority of indigenous culture, which is also the result of Neo-colonialism. Postcolonial theory is used as a research methodology. Homi K. Bhaba's concepts of identity, hybridity, mimicry and otherness provide a basic framework for the research. Fanon's concept of national identity will also provide support for the completion of this research. The research concludes that the elite and educated class should seek identity from their own culture rather than adopting the westernized mimic culture, which makes them an inferior race in order to show their own superiority.