The Politics of Representation in Ahdaf Soueif's 'The Map of Love'

This book examines the themes and narrative features in Ahdaf Soueif's The Map of Love. It deals with unresolved questions regarding asymmetrical intercultural relationships and the historical reasons for the present cultural conflicts. It also looks at the role played by nineteenth century visual and literary stereotyped representations of 'oriental' otherness when compared with the western tradition. The author offers a critical perspective on Soueif's use of nineteenth century English travel writing as a strategy for the deconstruction of its representative mechanisms. The book focuses on Soueif's mapping-out of the complex and conflictual search for identity on the part of the Egyptian protagonists, whilst questioning the possible processes of transformation in maintaining one's own cultural diversity.

Autorentext

Sabina D'Alessandro is a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Palermo (Italy). She was a Visiting PhD Student at the Royal Holloway, University of London in 2006 and obtained her PhD from the University of Salerno in 2008. She is co-editor of Narrativa storica e riscrittura. Saggi e interviste (Annali della Facoltà di Lettere, Palermo 2007). She has published articles on nineteenth century British travel writers and is the editorial secretary of the journal Fogli di Anglistica.

Inhalt
Contents: The Politics of Representation Issues of Identity The «Imperial Archives» and «Writing Back» Painted Orientalist Clichés Identity and Travel Writing in The Map of Love Interview with Ahdaf Soueif Works by Ahdaf Soueif.