America Undone: Sonallah Ibrahim's Intra-Imperial Investigations / ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ ﻣﻔﻜﻜﺔ: ﺗﺤﻘﻴﻘﺎﺕ ﺻﻨﻊ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺇﺑﺮﺍﻫﻴﻢ ﻓﻲ ﺛﻨﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻹﻣﺒﺮﻳﺎﻟﻴﺔ

Mara Naaman

Program

ALIF

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http://www.jstor.org/stable/30197944

All Authors

Naaman, Mara; ﻧﻌﻤﺎﻥ, ﻣﺎﺭﺍ

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics

Publication Date

2006

Abstract

[This article explores the way America-as a place both real and imagined-is constructed in the Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim's recent work Amrikanli. While this work openly critiques America's neo-imperialist role in the Middle East and its history of self-interested intervention, it also offers another portrait of America, as a nation rife with social decay and lacking a coherent sense of national identity. In this reversal of the cultural encounter, this article attempts to move past misappropriations of Orientalism's methodological legacy by resisting a reading of Ibrahim's work as offering yet another critique of America as merely a flat symbol of power and hegemony. The complexity of the Arab gaze (as spectator, anthropologist, and writer) vis-à-vis the Americans reflects the need for a more critical examination of the paradoxes and incoheren-cies that mark such localized cultural encounters. ﺗﺤﻠﻞ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﻛﻴﻔﻴﺔ ﺑﻨﺎﺀ ﺻﻮﺭﺓ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ - ﻛﻤﻜﺎﻥ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﻲ ﻭﻣﺘﺨﻴَﻞ - ﻓﻲ ﺭﻭﺍﻳﺔ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎﻧﻠﻲ ﻟﻠﻜﺎﺗﺐ ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺮﻱ ﺻﻨﻊ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺇﺑﺮﺍﻫﻴﻢ٠ ﻓﻔﻲ ﺣﻴﻦ ﺗﻨﺘﻘﺪ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺍﻳﺔ ﺟﻬﺮﺍ ﹰﺩﻭﺭ ﺃﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ ﺍﻟﻨﻴﻮ - ﺇﻣﺒﺮﻳﺎﻟﻲ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳﻂ ﻭﺗﺎﺭﻳﺨﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺘﺪﺧﻼﺕ ﺑﻬﺪﻑ ﺍﻟﻤﺼﻠﺤﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﺎﺻﺔ٬ ﺗﻘﺪﻡ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺍﻳﺔ ﺃﻳﺿﺎ ﹰﺻﻮﺭﺓ ﺃﺧﺮﻯ ﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ ﻛﺄﻣﺔ ﺗﻌﺞ ﺑﺎﻟﺘﻔﺴﺦ ﺍﻻﺟﺘﻤﺎﻋﻲ ﻭﺗﻔﺘﻘﺮ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺇﺣﺴﺎﺱ ﻣﺘﻤﺎﺳﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﻬﻮﻳﺔ٠ ﻭﻓﻲ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﺑﻠﺔ ﺍﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﻜﻮﺳﺔ٬ ﺗﺘﺨﻄﻰ ﻛﺎﺗﺒﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﻣﺎ ﺗﺮﺍﻩ ﺗﻄﺒﻴﻘﺎﹰ ﺧﺎﻃﺌﺎﹰ ﻹﺭﺙ ﻭﻣﻨﻬﺠﻴﺔ ﺇﺩﻭﺍﺭﺩ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﻓﻲ ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻻﺳﺘﺸﺮﺍﻕ٬ ﻋﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ ﻣﻘﺎﻭﻣﺔ ﻗﺮﺍﺀﺓ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺍﻳﺔ ﻛﻤﺠﺮﺩ ﻧﻘﺪ ﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﺎ ﻛﺮﻣﺰ ﺿﺤﻞ ﻟﻠﺴﻠﻄﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻬﻴﻤﻨﺔ٠ ﻓﺎﻟﻨﻈﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﻛﺒﺔ ﻟﺒﻄﻞ ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺍﻳﺔ (ﻛﻤﺘﻔﺮﺝ٬ ﻭﺃﻧﺜﺮﻭﭘﻮﻟﻮﺟﻲ٬ ﻭﻛﺎﺗﺐ) ﻓﻲ ﻣﻘﺎﺑﻞ ﺍﻟﺸﺨﺼﻴﺎﺕ ﺍﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﺺ ﺗﻌﻜﺲ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﺟﺔ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺗﺤﻠﻴﻞ ﺃﻛﺜﺮ ﻧﻘﺪﻳﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﻔﺎﺭﻗﺎﺕ ﻭﺍﻟﻼﺗﻤﺎﺳﻚ ﺍﻟﻠﺬﻳﻦ ﻳﻤﻴﺰﺍﻥ ﻣﺜﻞ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﺑﻼﺕ ﺍﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺤﺪﻭﺩﺓ٠]

First Page

71

Last Page

93

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