In A Question of Power Bessie Head explores metaphysical forms of knowledge and systems of belief (against a background of what is verifiable and can be called the truth) and finds them necessary but flawed because they are illogical. The experience of madness in Bessie Head's main character, Elizabeth, (which is caused by a deep fear of domination and oppression), provides an opportunity for the character to raise propositions and questions of philosophy related to race, class, heterosexuality, God, to mention but a few, and to come to the conclusion that the 'truth' claims which are implied in and suggested by these notions do not obtain in real life. In other words, there is no stable, transcendental reality. It dawns on Elizabeth (the main character) that certain realms of knowledge which society has determined as objective truth will remain forever unknowable. Thus Elizabeth, the main character in a A Question of Power, identifies and challenges all patriarchal structures and power hierarchies in society, seeing them as the real causes of her suffering. After completing this process of deeonstruction, she is able to integrate herself into society. / English Studies / M. A. (English)

In A Question of Power Bessie Head explores metaphysical forms of knowledge and systems of belief (against a background of what is verifiable and can be called the truth) and finds them necessary but flawed because they are illogical. The experience of madness in Bessie Head's main character, Elizabeth, (which is caused by a deep fear of domination and oppression), provides an opportunity for the character to raise propositions and questions of philosophy related to race, class, heterosexuality, God, to mention but a few, and to come to the conclusion that the 'truth' claims which are implied in and suggested by these notions do not obtain in real life. In other words, there is no stable, transcendental reality. It dawns on Elizabeth (the main character) that certain realms of knowledge which society has determined as objective truth will remain forever unknowable. Thus Elizabeth, the main character in a A Question of Power, identifies and challenges all patriarchal structures and power hierarchies in society, seeing them as the real causes of her suffering. After completing this process of deeonstruction, she is able to integrate herself into society. / English Studies / M. A. (English)

À travers une étude des œuvres de la littérature moderne dans le monde arabe et ses diasporas, ma thèse de doctorat porte sur l'autonomisation et l’agentivité des sujets masculins arabes queer alors qu'ils déstabilisent les binaires traditionnels et les constructions essentialistes des identités. En déconstruisant l'altérité mutuelle entre Orient et Occident et l'altérisation des homosexuels arabes tant par l'Orient que par l'Occident, je démontre la vulnérabilité de tels discours face à la fluidité, l'intersectionnalité et l'évolution constante des identités. Le premier chapitre étudie les implications des rencontres coloniales passées, des conflits et des relations de pouvoir sur les discours et les conceptions actuelles de la sexualité homosexuelle dans le monde arabe. Il examine également l'influence de l'altérité occidentale/orientale sur l'évolution de l'homoérotisme arabe et le déploiement de la “queerness” comme outil politique d'exclusion. Je considère à fond des concepts clés discutés par des auteurs comme Joseph Massad et Jaspir Puar, y compris “l'Internationale Gay”, l'universalisation de l'homosexualité, l'hégémonie occidentale, l'exception occidentale, “l'homonationalisme” et le “pinkwashing”. Tout en reconnaissant l'importance de tels concepts pour une compréhension nuancée du discours occidental sur les droits de la personne et des revendications libératrices, je maintiens qu'elles contribuent à l'altérisation des activistes arabes queer et des individus qui cherchent à être reconnus publiquement et nient leur pouvoir en les présentant comme manipulés par l'Occident. Le deuxième chapitre montre que les représentations des personnages homosexuels dans la fiction arabe moderne sont limitées et limitantes car elles restent confinées dans des dichotomies actif/passif, masculin/féminin, dominant/soumis, etc. Les représentations de l’homosexualité masculine dans ce chapitre l'associent à la déviance, à la perversion et au viol, et la situent dans des relations inégales et déséquilibrées motivées par l'exploitation matérielle ou le désir d'exercer un pouvoir. Le troisième chapitre explore les représentations de l'homosexualité dans les œuvres contemporaines d'écrivains arabes queer des diasporas. Ce chapitre suit les Arabes queer alors qu'ils se déplacent au-delà des frontières, habitent des lieux intersectionnels, intermédiaires et proposent de nouvelles possibilités d'existence au mépris des attentes et des identifications imposées. Ce faisant, ils résistent à leur altérité tant chez eux qu'en diaspora et témoignent de la complexité, de la mobilité et de la multiplicité des identités postcoloniales. Ma thèse souligne l'importance d'embrasser la diversité et de se réconcilier avec les différents aspects de l'identité afin de lutter contre toutes formes de discrimination, de racisme et de stéréotypes, et de favoriser l'acceptation et la tolérance. / Through a study of works of contemporary literature in the Arab world and its diasporas, my doctoral thesis addresses the empowerment and agency of queer Arab male subjects as they destabilize traditional binaries and essentialist constructions of identities. By deconstructing mutual Othering between East and West and the Othering of Arab homosexuals both by the East and the West, I demonstrate the vulnerability of such discourses in the face of the fluidity, intersectionality, and the constant evolving of identities. The first chapter studies the implications of past colonial encounters, conflicts, and relations of power on present discourses and conceptions of same-sex sexuality in the Arab world. It also examines the influence of Western/Eastern Othering on the evolution of Arab homoeroticism and the deployment of queerness as a political tool for exclusion. I delve into key concepts discussed by authors like Joseph Massad and Jaspir Puar, including the “Gay International”, the universalizing of gayness, Western hegemony, Western exceptionalism, “homonationalism” and “pinkwashing”. While recognizing the importance of such concepts to a nuanced understanding of Western human rights discourse and liberatory claims, I argue that they contribute to the Othering of queer Arab activists and individuals who seek public recognition and deny their agency by presenting them as manipulated by the West. The second chapter shows that representations of homosexual characters in modern Arabic fiction are limited and limiting as they remain confined to dichotomies of active/passive, masculine/feminine, dominant/submissive, etc. The depictions of male-male sexuality in this chapter associate it with deviance, perversion, and rape, and situate it within unequal, unbalanced relationships driven by material exploitation or a desire to exert power. The third chapter explores representations of homosexuality in contemporary works by queer Arab writers in diasporas. This chapter follows queer Arabs as they move beyond borders, inhabit intersectional, in-between locations, and propose new possibilities of existence, in defiance of expectations and imposed identifications. By doing so, they resist their Othering both at home and in diaspora and attest to the complexity, mobility, and multiplicity of postcolonial identities. My research highlights the importance of embracing diversity and reconciling with different aspects of identity in order to fight against all forms of discrimination, racism and stereotypes, and of fostering acceptance and tolerance.