At the Margins of the Margins

This book provides an analysis of issues of gender in
beur (French-born people of North African descent)
literary texts and films, its basic contention being
that gender is a crucial element in the construction
of beur identity. Focusing on the literary and
cinematic devices adopted in order to describe and
define beur female identity, this study shows how the
texts under examination provide effective
reinterpretations of Western texts and canons that
would be impossible without a deep knowledge of the
originals. The use and reinterpretation of
autobiographical narration, fictional narration in
the third person, multivocal and polyphonic
narration, prove that beur literary texts can be
inscribed à plein titre within the Western literary
tradition. A similar approach is adopted for cinema,
stressing the elements of continuity that tie beur
films to the colonial production as well as to the
postcolonial non-mainstream production of the second
half of 20th century.

Autorentext
Simona Barello holds a Ph.D. in Francophone Literature and Cinema from New York University. She works in Rome and Paris. Her research interests range from questions of cultural hybridity and identity to the reinterpretation and subversion of æsthetic canons to feminist theories. She published articles in American, Canadian, and European journals.

Klappentext
This book provides an analysis of issues of gender in beur (French-born people of North African descent) literary texts and films, its basic contention being that gender is a crucial element in the construction of beur identity. Focusing on the literary and cinematic devices adopted in order to describe and define beur female identity, this study shows how the texts under examination provide effective reinterpretations of Western texts and canons that would be impossible without a deep knowledge of the originals. The use and reinterpretation of autobiographical narration, fictional narration in the third person, multivocal and polyphonic narration, prove that beur literary texts can be inscribed à plein titre within the Western literary tradition. A similar approach is adopted for cinema, stressing the elements of continuity that tie beur films to the colonial production as well as to the postcolonial non-mainstream production of the second half of 20th century.