27th Annual Student Research Conference
The Politics of Love Letters in Assia Djebars Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade
Kiana A. Rowan
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Assia Djebars historical autobiographical novel, Fantasia: An Algerian Cavaclade, interweaves historical accounts of the French conquest of Algeria with her deep ambivalence towards her use of the enemys language. The novel juxtaposes the love letters: the secret letters to pen pals written by Djebars female cousins and the French soldiers letters from Algeria to relatives back home. Investigating how Djebar resolves her internal struggle with French, this paper will examine the ways in which Djebar explores her identity crisis and how she learns to not only cope with but wield the foe's language as a weapon against linguistic oppression in Algeria.
Keywords: Fantasia an algerian cavaclade, postcolonialism, language
Topic(s):English
Interdisciplinary
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 309-2
Location: VH 1232
Time: 1:15