Abdelkébir Khatibi: Postcolonialism, Transnationalism, and Culture in the Maghreb and Beyond(72 Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures)

Abdelkébir Khatibi (1938–2009) is one of the greatest Moroccan thinkers, and one of the most important theorists of both postcolonialism and Islamic culture of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This book introduces his works to Anglophone readers, tracing his development from the early work on sociology in Morocco to his literary and aesthetic works championing transnationalism and multilingualism. The essays here both offer close analyses of Khatibi’s engagements with a range of issues, from Moroccan politics to Arabic calligraphy and from decolonisation to interculturality, and highlights the important contribution of his thinking to the development of Western postcolonial and modern theory. The book acknowledges the legacy of one of the greatest African thinkers of the last century, and addresses the lack of attention to his work in the field of postcolonial studies. More than a writer, a sociologist or a thinker, Khatibi was a leading figure and an eclectic intellectual whose erudite works can still inform and enrich current reflections on the future of postcolonialism and the development of intercultural and transnational studies. The book also includes translated excerpts from Khatibi’s works, thus offering a multilingual perspective on his writing. Contributors: Assia Belhabib, Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani, Dominique Combe, Rim Feriani, Charles Forsdick, Olivia C. Harrison, Jane Hiddleston, Debra Kelly, Khalid Lyamlahy, Lucy McNeece, Matt Reeck, Alison Rice, Nao Sawada, Andy Stafford, Edwige Tamalet Talbayev, Alfonso de Toro

Table of Contents:
List of photographs Acknowledgements Introduction Abdelkébir Khatibi, At Home and Abroad Jane Hiddleston and Khalid Lyamlahy I. Critical Thinking: From Decolonisation to Transnationalism The ‘Souverainement Orphelin’ of Abdelkébir Khatibi’s Early Writings: Sociology in the Souffles Years Andy Stafford Tireless Translation: Travels, Transcriptions, Tongues and the Eternal Plight of the ‘Étranger professionnel’ in the corpus of Abdelkébir Khatibi Alison Rice Abdelkébir Khatibi’s Mediterranean Idiom Edwige Tamalet Talbayev Abdelkébir Khatibi and the Transparency of Language Assia Belhabib (translated from the French by Jane Hiddleston) Performativity and Abdelkébir Khatibi, ‘From where to speak’: Living, Thinking and Writing with an ‘epistemological accent’ Alfonso de Toro II. Cultural and Philosophical Dialogues Khatibi and the Transcolonial Turn Olivia C. Harrison Segalen and Khatibi: Bilingualism, Alterity and the Poetics of Diversity Charles Forsdick Derrida and Khatibi: A ‘Franco-Maghrebian’ dialogue Dominique Combe (translated from the French by Jane Hiddleston) Maghrebian Shadow: Abdelkébir Khatibi and Japanese Culture Nao Sawada III. Aesthetics and Art in the Islamic World and Beyond Reading Signs and Symbols with Abdelkébir Khatibi: from the Body to the Text Rim Feriani, Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani and Debra Kelly Abdelkébir Khatibi: The Other Side of the Mirror Lucy McNeece The Carpet as a Text, The Writer as a Weaver: Reading the Moroccan Carpet with Abdelkébir Khatibi Khalid Lyamlahy The Artist’s Journey, or, the Journey as Art: Aesthetics and Ethics in Pèlerinage d’un artiste amoureux and beyond Jane Hiddleston IV. Translations Excerpts from Abdelkébir Khatibi, La Blessure du nom propre (Paris: Editions Denoël, 1974) Translated from the French by Matt Reeck Excerpts from Abdelkébir Khatibi and Jacques Hassoun, Le Même Livre (Paris: Editions de l’Eclat, 1985) Translated from the French by Olivia C. Harrison V. Bibliography

About the Author :
Jane Hiddleston is Professor of Literatures in French at the University of Oxford. Khalid Lyamlahy is Assistant Professor in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Chicago.

Review :
'It is difficult to overstate the importance of Abdelkebir Khatibi, not just for the postcolonial or francophone world but for literary and cultural studies in general. This volume will be a significant contribution to scholarship on the multifaceted and complex work of this original literary and cultural voice.' Nasrin Qader, Northwestern University 'Jane Hiddleston and Khalid Lyamlahy’s hard-hitting collection of essays on Abdelkébir Khatibi represents the first major English-language publication devoted to the Moroccan thinker and his work.[...] In this sense, there can be no greater homage to, or recognition of, Khatibian destabilisation and instigation than the editors' thoughtful interfolding of elements of surprise into the collection’s structure. [...] This book is positioned to be of immense interest to students and scholars of postcolonialism who are invested in the complex intersections of politics, literature, language, and identity, both within and beyond the francosphere. One of the book’s most precious contributions to (francophone) postcolonialism is how it points to fecund crossovers with adjacent fields of scholarship, and gestures toward potentially trailblazing interventions.' Yasser Elhariry, Bulletin of Francophone Postcolonial Studies 'There is also a useful overview of Khatibi scholarship, which in turn offers readers a chance to consider new avenues for research and enquiry. Particularly impressive is the way that this volume brings together many Khatibi scholars. [...] Hiddleston and Lyamlahy have done a laudable job of making the book accessible to a wide audience; whether one has just discovered Khatibi’s writings or spent a lifetime studying him, there is something in this collection for everyone.' Shannon K. Winston, French Studies 'Abdelkébir Khatibi is quite properly characterized by the editors of this impressive collaboration as among the most important theorists of postcolonialism and contemporary Islamic culture. [...There are] fourteen individually fascinating and cumulatively compelling essays offered here, and which are valuably complemented by translations of substantial extracts from two of Khatibi’s major texts. [...] This absorbing introduction to his life and work deserves to be widely read and discussed.' Philip Dine, International Journal of French Studies '[Abdelkébir Khatibi: Postcolonialism, Transnationalism and Culture in the Maghreb and Beyond] stands as the most comprehensive account of Khatibi available in English to date. It presents insightful and authoritative readings on his relation to critical theory, poststructuralism, and postcolonial theory while integrating crucial but neglected aspects of his writing, notably his work in sociology, popular culture, and visual arts.' Matthew Brauer, Journal of North Africa Studies