Debunking the Myths of Colonization: The Arabs and Europe

Debunking the Myths of Colonization. examines Salman Rushdie's thesis on the paradoxical nature of colonialism and its horrific impact on the psyche of the colonized. It probes Frantz Fanon's theories concerning the relationship between colonizers and colonized, and attempts to apply these theories to modern Arabic literature. Like Rushdi and Fanon, many Arab writers have embarked on a journey to the metropolis of their ex-colonial masters. Due to their encounter with English or French culture, they have written memoirs, poems, or fictions in which they have represented themselves and the 'other.' Their representations differ markedly according to their own make up as human beings, their class, education, experiences, and gender. Yet what brings them together is their love-hate relationship with the ex-colonizer. In the case of the Palestinian writers, however, there is only bitterness and bewilderment at Israel as a colonizing power in the 21st century and its Jewish citizens, who were once victims in Europe but now have turned into victimizers.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Brief Chronology of the History of Colonization of the Arab World Chapter 4 1. Introduction: Violent Arrival and Departure: Western Intruders Wreak Havoc on the World - A Theoretical Overview Chapter 5 2. The Encounter Between the Colonized and the Colonizer Chapter 6 3. A Discovery Voyage of Self and Other: Fadwa Tuqan's Sojourn in England in the Early Sixties Chapter 7 4. The Fascination of an Egyptian Intellectual with Europe: Taha Husayn and France Chapter 8 5. Are Europeans Like Us? Tawfiq al-Hakim: A Perplexed Egyptian Intellectual in Paris Chapter 9 6. Colonialism Failed Project: Yahya Haqqi and Imperial Britain Chapter 10 7. The Destruction of Both Colonizer and Colonized: Mustafa Sa'eed, A Fictitious Sudanese Intellectual Journeys to England, the Depth of Hell Chapter 11 8. Buried in the Deepest Recesses of Memory: A Queen or a Slave? The Vision of Ghassan Kanafani and Emile Habibi of the City of Haifa Chapter 12 9. Women Under Occupation: Fadwa Tuqan and Sahar Khalifah Document Israeli Colonization Chapter 13 10. Is Friendship Possible Between the Colonizer and the Colonized? A Comparative Assessment Chapter 14 11. Conclusion: Fractured Identities: The Perilous Journey to Self-Recovery Chapter 15 Appendixes Chapter 16 Selected Bibliography Chapter 17 Index Chapter 18 About the Author

About the Author :
Samar Attar has taught English, Arabic, and comparative literature in the USA, Canada, Algeria, Germany, Australia, and Turkey. She has published extensively in both English and Arabic in the fields of literary criticism, philosophy, migration, and gender studies.

Review :
Attar’s sophisticated and highly nuanced narrative describes the positive and largely negative impacts of colonialism from the perspectives of these Arab writers....Attar’s excellent work goes far toward proving the negative impacts of colonialism while emphasizing the complexity of relationships between the colonized and colonizers. This work provides rich material for future debates and studies on the literature of the contemporary Arab world. It is a fine work of both literary and colonial/political theory that merits adoption in a wide variety of university classes as well as inclusion in the libraries of scholars and those interested in the Arab world and its astounding cultural achievements.