Reading the Contemporary Middle East

Level 6 (30 credits)

Subject Area:
Literature and Culture since WWII, World Literature

This module will introduce students to Arabic literature in translation, as well as anglophone Middle Eastern writing from 2001 to the present day. In a reflection of the impact of this moment on the exposure of the West to Arab literatures, the module takes the 9/11 attacks as a turning point in the status and relationship of Euro-American audiences to Arab literatures. Through an examination of texts from around the region, this module will ask what Middle Eastern writing in English/ translation allow us to understand about the contemporary Middle East, and what the circulation of these texts obscures or masks.

Preparing for this Module and Approximate Costs

Because Middle Eastern writing is often more difficult to source, I will set the final reading list for this module later in order to try to ensure that texts are available, in print, and not horribly expensive. However, if you'd like to begin reading, these texts will almost certainly be on the syllabus:

Sinan Antoon, The Corpse Washer (2013)

Ghassan Kanafani, Men in the Sun and other Stories - we will be reading the title story only 'Men in the Sun'.

Basma Abdel Aziz, The Queue (2016)

Zeina Abirachid, A Game for Swallows (2007)

Nada Jarrar, An Unsafe Haven (2016)

Laila Lalami, The Other Americans (2019)

The biggest cost associated with this module is the purchase of books. Because Middle Eastern writing is often printed in shorter runs and requires translation, it is often more expensive than other texts (usually £8-12). It is also more difficult to buy cheaper, second-hand copies of texts. The library will have a few copies of core texts, but please be aware that you'll need to plan and buy texts early, and that these texts may well be more expensive than others you've had to source.
The only other expense is the self-guided trip to the V&A or British Museum's Middle Eastern collections. While the exhibits themselves are free to access, you will will have to get yourself to the Museum and back.

Why take
Reading the Contemporary Middle East
?

This module will introduce students to Arabic literature in translation, as well as anglophone Middle Eastern writing from 2001 to the present day.
We will think about how these texts/ writers are received and read in a Euro-American context, considering ideas such as translation, diasporic identities, Islamophobia, Arab(ic) identities. Do we read these novels in the same way as we read other texts, or are they made to represent particular identities/ histories/ cultures?
We will think together about the importance and limitations of translation, and about how the literature of the Middle East helps us to better understand the politics and history of the region, its people, and its historical and ongoing colonial ties to the West.

Learning Context	Long Seminar + Workshop (or equivalent)
Semester	Two
Assessment	Participation, 10% Portfolio (2000 words), 25% Group Presentation (10 mins), 15% Written Assignment (3000 words), 50%
Mode of reassessment	Standard
Contact	Nadia Atia

Content Notes

English Modules

Department of English UG Module Directory (2024)

ESH6084

Reading the Contemporary Middle East

Level 6 (30 credits)