22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Breaking the Silence: A Feminist Postcolonial View of Assia Djebar's Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade
Emily A. Ward
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
In her historical autobiographical work Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade, Assia Djebar sets out on a journey through significant time periods in her homeland's history, chronicling the French conquest of Algeria, the Algerian War of Independence, and her own private history. While it seems to have been her intent to share the often-concealed Algerian women's perspectives of the wars by giving a voice to their stories, along the way she finds herself searching for her own voice. Though Djebar takes several steps toward breaking the Arab woman's silence, including writing love letters and sharing her personal history, it isn't until she transcribes the stories of her fellow country women that she truly finds her own voice. Through a postcolonial and feminist perspective, this paper will explore how, despite the cultural and colonial oppressive powers that have attempted to keep Algerian women quiet, through writing, Djebar is able to break this silence.
Keywords: Feminism, Assia Djebar, Postcolonism, Autobiography, Algeria
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 37-1
Location: OP 2121
Time: 1:15