The Strangest Year of Our Generation|2020 in Review

Despite everything, 2020 has been an exciting year that introduced us to wonderful new writers who will possibly be remembered as the greatest writers of our times. Continue reading The Strangest Year of Our Generation|2020 in Review

‘Home is not a place to return to’: An I-Novel by Minae Mizumura | Japan

The original version of An I-Novel, published in 1995, mixes Japanese and English seamlessly, creating a literary work that reflects its narrator’s desire to find her true self. Continue reading ‘Home is not a place to return to’: An I-Novel by Minae Mizumura | Japan

So Long a Letter; So Long a History | Mariama Bâ, Muslimness, and Women’s Rights

Through Ramatoulaye’s reflections, Bâ highlights the institution of marriage as a structural symbol of the patriarchal system, in which asymmetrical gender relations are maintained and projected as part of the Islamic doctrine. Continue reading So Long a Letter; So Long a History | Mariama Bâ, Muslimness, and Women’s Rights

A Feminism of One’s Own: Distant View of a Minaret by Alifa Rifaat

Alifa Rifaat’s stories are situated within an Islamic framework that allows her to create a feminism of her own. Since Islam and empowerment are often misguidedly placed in contradiction to one another, it’s easy to see why Rifaat is not a household name. Continue reading A Feminism of One’s Own: Distant View of a Minaret by Alifa Rifaat

The Year of the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge + Unapologetically Muslim Reading Challenge? Yes, please.

This may all seem too idealistic to some but nonetheless conveys a crucial message about the role of the artist and what cultural and literary representations can offer in the ongoing debates about the so-called “problem” of Muslims in the Anglophone North Atlantic. Continue reading The Year of the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge + Unapologetically Muslim Reading Challenge? Yes, please.