The Politics of Gender in Isabella Hammad’s The Parisian (2019): Exploring the Self and the Other in a Feminist Context

Abstract

This dissertation analyses the theme of the Self and the other from a feminist perspective in Isabella Hammad’s novel the Parisian (2019), using the theoretical frameworks of Orientalism (1978) by Edward Said, Nawal El Saadawi’s theory of Arab feminism The Hidden Face of Eve (1980), and Gayatri Spivak’s theory of Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988). The study, employing Said’s theory, examines the pejorative image the westerns have created about the ‘Orient’ and ‘Orientals’ demonstrated by Hammad, through the discrimination Midhat encounters during his life in France, and the representation of the belly dancers. Furthermore, El Saadawi’s theory of Arab feminism analyses the patriarchal agenda against women in the Third World countries that degrade their position within society to men’s ‘other’. The novel’s female characters with a focus on Fatima, are portrayed to challenge traditional gender roles. Spivak’s theory of the Subaltern is applied in The Parisian (2019) to examine how the discriminatory laws against women in the region are used as a pretext for the Western discourse of liberation to secure the imperial presence; resulting in a further othering of women. The study concludes through the depiction of the October 1919 revolution in the literary piece scrutinized, that Arab women are able to deconstruct the traditional gender roles and create their own discourse of liberation without the need for Western intervention. The findings of the dissertation provide insights into contemporary discussions of feminism, Orientalism, and postcolonialism, and suggest avenues for future research.