Black-Arab Encounters in Literature and Film

This book explores how representations of Black Africans have been negotiated in Arabic literature and film, highlighting the changes in consciousness and the hierarchical representational discourse generated by scholars in the Middle East and North Africa. It also demonstrates that Arab racial discourse is not a linear rhetoric but changes according to history, political circumstances, and ideologies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 146 pages
Publication date: 27 August 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate and evolving representations of Black Africans in Arabic literature and film throughout history. It provides a rich and detailed analysis of a diverse range of primary texts, offering insightful interpretations of the diverse ways in which these authors understood race across various genres, including pre-Islamic classical poetry, polemical essays, travel narratives, novels, and films. Spanning from the first recognized Black-Arab poet Antara Ibn Shaddad (580 C.E.) to the present day, the selected works shed light on the profound shifts in consciousness experienced by Black Africans as they navigated their place in Arab society.

In a departure from Edward Said's Orientalism, the book argues that scholars in the Middle East and North Africa have also constructed a hierarchical representational discourse, one that is rooted in the Self-Other binary. However, it goes beyond this simplistic framework by demonstrating that Arab racial discourse is not a static or linear rhetoric but rather a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon that is shaped by history, political circumstances, and ideologies such as tribal politics, the Shuubiyya movement, nationalism, and imperialism.

The book explores the complex and multifaceted relationships between Blacks and Arabs, recognizing that their interactions are not solely driven by race but also by kinship and solidarity forged through trade and other forms of connections. It challenges fundamental assumptions in Black Diaspora studies and postcolonial studies, offering a fresh perspective on the complex and evolving dynamics between these two communities.

This book will be of immense interest to scholars engaged in the study of the African diaspora, Arabic literature, Middle East studies, and critical race studies. It provides valuable insights into the ways in which representations of Black Africans have been negotiated and contested over time, shedding light on the complex and multifaceted nature of race and identity in the Arab world.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138615700