Pendulums of Personhood? Exploring the Multitudes of Immigrant Womanhood in Spanish-Maghrebi Literature

Author

Kaitlyn C. Sisco, University of MississippiFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-7-2022

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Croft Institute for International Studies

First Advisor

Kristin Hickman

Second Advisor

Jason E. Klodt

Third Advisor

Ian Gowan

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Often considered articulations of in-between-ness and bearers of fraught selfhoods, the work of Spanish-Maghrebi authors has been widely debated in literary fields, with academics arguing that it constitutes a largely homogenous set of texts about the standard immigrant experience. However, by placing these texts in a single category, such arguments end up erasing the immensely varied identities expressed and represented by Spanish-Maghrebi authors. This thesis seeks to address this issue by paying particular attention to how Spanish-Maghrebi authors negotiate different types of immigrant subjectivities in their writing. Specifically, I analyze the works of three contemporary Spanish-Maghrebi writers, Najat El Hachmi, Lamiae El Amrani, and Laila Karrouch, in order to demonstrate the heterogeneity of their hybrid identities. Through close readings of their texts, I argue that Spanish-Maghrebi identities are not monolithic. Rather, Spanish-Moroccan authors like El Hachmi, El Amrani, and Karrouch negotiate their dual identities differently. Consequently, this thesis pushes us to consider the varied experiences of immigrant womanhood and underscores the importance of acknowledging such diversity amongst Spanish-Maghrebis.

Recommended Citation

Sisco, Kaitlyn C., "Pendulums of Personhood? Exploring the Multitudes of Immigrant Womanhood in Spanish-Maghrebi Literature" (2022). Honors Theses. 2493.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2493

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.