The Other in Contemporary Arab Culture and Society

This book by Dalya Cohen-Mor explores the issue of the Other in Arab culture and society as reflected in modern Arabic literature. Drawing on insights from identity studies, cultural studies, and women's studies, and analyzing in depth a large body of works from modern Arabic literature, this book provides a vivid account of how otherness is produced, experienced, and contested in Arab society.


The Other in Contemporary Arab Culture and Society: Longing to Belong offers a comparative study of both internal and external Others in Arab society, uses the concept of the Other to shed light on the parameters of Arab identity and self-definition, and focuses on the relationship with the Other to explore the dynamics of Arab culture and society. The selection of literary works includes autobiographical novels, novels, novellas, short stories, and poems by contemporary Arab writers, both male and female, from across the Middle East. The analysis highlights the ways in which literary texts critique, complicate, or modify stereotypical representations of the Other, illustrates the values and orientations of Arab society, and assesses the agency of literature and its power to raise public awareness and shape reality.