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Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi

Reading world literature is,’ as Debjani Ganguly asserts, ‘to confront both plurality and the prevalence of difference, and a myriad of often unpredictable nodes of connectivity.’ This seems a challenging task, considering how “Western” critical approaches can work to suppress alterity or absorb dif...

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Main Author: Mattar, Netty
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Language:English
English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
PR English literature
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/1/LOA-45643.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/7/84929%20Nomadic%20Subjectivity%20in%20the%20Selected%20Works%20of%20Abdourahman%20Waberi.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/
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spelling my.iium.irep.849292020-11-24T00:13:57Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/ Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi Mattar, Netty PR English literature Reading world literature is,’ as Debjani Ganguly asserts, ‘to confront both plurality and the prevalence of difference, and a myriad of often unpredictable nodes of connectivity.’ This seems a challenging task, considering how “Western” critical approaches can work to suppress alterity or absorb difference into familiar patterns of understanding. Even Postcolonial theory, which seeks to uncover unequal power relations, inscribes the ‘other’ as radically unknowable and is unable to provide alternative ways of encountering difference. It is perhaps apt then to turn to more ‘authentic’ critical perspectives as a way out of this impasse. I am interested in how authentic experiences of the ‘other’ can be discerned by looking to the particular arts, belief systems, and patterns of behaviour within the matrices of the culture from which the text emerges. I will explore the figure of the nomad as a means of understanding subjective experience in selected writings of French-Djiboutian writer Abdourahman Waberi. The nomad is a figure of mobility, embodying a relationship between landscape and subjectivity that disrupts fixed boundaries of nation. Far from being a mere trope, the Djiboutian nomad is resourceful, resilient, individualistic and proud, relying on distinct patterns of movement to survive the unforgiving landscape. Crucially, the nomad is tied to specific locations, enforcing the importance of difference in subjective experience. Comparing the Djiboutian nomad to the travellers in Waberi’s texts generates a dialogue between culture and writer, opening up the possibilities for reading non-Western, African subjectivities that go beyond the scope of Western paradigms. 2019-03-31 Conference or Workshop Item NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/1/LOA-45643.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/7/84929%20Nomadic%20Subjectivity%20in%20the%20Selected%20Works%20of%20Abdourahman%20Waberi.pdf Mattar, Netty (2019) Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi. In: The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2019 (ACAH 2019), 29th-31st March 2019, Tokyo, Japan. (Unpublished)
institution Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia
building IIUM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider International Islamic University Malaysia
content_source IIUM Repository (IREP)
url_provider http://irep.iium.edu.my/
language English
English
topic PR English literature
spellingShingle PR English literature
Mattar, Netty
Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
description Reading world literature is,’ as Debjani Ganguly asserts, ‘to confront both plurality and the prevalence of difference, and a myriad of often unpredictable nodes of connectivity.’ This seems a challenging task, considering how “Western” critical approaches can work to suppress alterity or absorb difference into familiar patterns of understanding. Even Postcolonial theory, which seeks to uncover unequal power relations, inscribes the ‘other’ as radically unknowable and is unable to provide alternative ways of encountering difference. It is perhaps apt then to turn to more ‘authentic’ critical perspectives as a way out of this impasse. I am interested in how authentic experiences of the ‘other’ can be discerned by looking to the particular arts, belief systems, and patterns of behaviour within the matrices of the culture from which the text emerges. I will explore the figure of the nomad as a means of understanding subjective experience in selected writings of French-Djiboutian writer Abdourahman Waberi. The nomad is a figure of mobility, embodying a relationship between landscape and subjectivity that disrupts fixed boundaries of nation. Far from being a mere trope, the Djiboutian nomad is resourceful, resilient, individualistic and proud, relying on distinct patterns of movement to survive the unforgiving landscape. Crucially, the nomad is tied to specific locations, enforcing the importance of difference in subjective experience. Comparing the Djiboutian nomad to the travellers in Waberi’s texts generates a dialogue between culture and writer, opening up the possibilities for reading non-Western, African subjectivities that go beyond the scope of Western paradigms.
format Conference or Workshop Item
author Mattar, Netty
author_facet Mattar, Netty
author_sort Mattar, Netty
title Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
title_short Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
title_full Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
title_fullStr Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
title_full_unstemmed Nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of Abdourahman Waberi
title_sort nomadic subjectivity in the selected works of abdourahman waberi
publishDate 2019
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/1/LOA-45643.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/7/84929%20Nomadic%20Subjectivity%20in%20the%20Selected%20Works%20of%20Abdourahman%20Waberi.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/84929/
_version_ 1684653110267478016
score 13.211869

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