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Politics of Identity in Multicultural Settings: a Literary Analysis of Leila Aboulela's Novels, the Translator and Minaret Sara A

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Politics of Identity in Multicultural Settings: a Literary Analysis of Leila Aboulela's Novels, the Translator and Minaret Sara A Al-Asmakh 1 Politics of Identity in Multicultural Settings: a Literary Analysis of Leila Aboulela's Novels, The Translator and Minaret Sara A. Al-Asmakh Supervised by: Professor Amal Al-Malki April 17, 2009 Aboulela is a Sudanese novelist, who attracted attention and recognition world-wide through her work. She brings east and west together in her novels and highlights the struggle of females being caught in an unfamiliar setting. Her work has been translated into nine languages. Aboulela's first novel, The Translator was published in 1999. It was short- listed for the Orange Prize 2000 and also long listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards 2001. Abuolela's second novel Minaret was published in 2005 and won the Best Novel nominee for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. It was long listed for the Orange prize for Fiction and the IMPAC prize. In both Novels, Aboulela portrays a Sudanese heroine living in a foreign land, London in Minaret and Aberdeen in The Translator. Aboulela knows a lot about the foreign land that she placed her heroines in because at the age of seventeen she went to London to receive her Masters degree in Statistics from the London School of Economics and then in1990 Aboulela's husband took a job in Aberdeen. Aboulela wrote most of her work in Aberdeen, she explains the reason behind this: "I needed to express myself. I was 24 years old and stuck in a strange place, with two boisterous little boys, and my husband was working offshore on the oilrigs. It was a life for which I wasn't prepared…There was the Gulf war and a lot in the papers criticizing Islam and it used to hurt me."1 The heroines of both novels hold to religion in Multicultural settings. The heroines are displaced in the land that they migrated to. They feel like strangers in an unfamiliar setting where both of them long for their native land, Sudan. As a result 1 Sethi, Anita. "Keep the faith." 05 June 2005. 12 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jun/05/fiction.features2>. Al-Asmakh 2 they both try to take advantage of the Multicultural setting in Aberdeen and London. They go to the mosque and gather with minorities like them to create a sense of home. Thus, Aboulela points out the positive aspects about Multiculturalism such as the existence of mosque and Halal meet stores and as well as the dark sides of Multiculturalism such as hinting at hidden racism and the struggle to belong to the majority culture. In both Novels, Aboulela describes the journey of female protagonists that gain their strength from their spiritual devotion. Aboulela delivers a clear message to the Western reader which is that Islam enlightens the life of Muslims. Aboulela says: "Islam restrains me, but restraint is not oppression, and boundaries can be comforting and nurturing. Freedom does not necessarily bring happiness, nor does an abundance of choices automatically mean that we will make the right one. I need guidance and wisdom; I need grace and forgiveness."2 Abuolela says that she does not remember when she learned that God existed just as she does not remember when she learned her name. Her mother and grandmother instilled spiritual knowledge in her by telling her stories from the Qur'an. Aboulela believes that having a religious identity is more stable than having a national identity because she can carry her religion with her anywhere she goes. In both her novels, Aboulela talks about Islam and its image in the West. She began with herself then her heroines. When the author was in high school, she wanted to wear hijab (Head Cover) but she did not have the courage because she cared about what her friends would think. But when she did, she did it out of choice and not because her husband pressured her or something like that. Thus, hijab for her is a major part of her Islamic identity and is so to her heroines. Aboulela anticipates "in 2Aboulela, Liela. "Muslim Women: Restraint? Sure; Oppression? Hardly." 27 July 207. 12 Apr. 2009 <http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=98991&d=27&m=7&y=2007>. Al-Asmakh 3 time the West will come to look at the veil in a different light. It encourages me when a Western woman comments on my headscarf. I feel that she has reached out to me, she has seen beyond the symbol."3 Most of Aboulela’s work has been done through a Muslim female protagonist. Through her heroine in both novels, Aboulela addresses issues related to feminism where both characters seek to find comfort in unfamiliar setting and have to give up their dependency on men to go on in life. Both novels talk about the struggle of Muslim women in a foreign land, and end with their empowerment through embracing an Islamic identity. Hijab is one of the main symbols of this Islamic identity. Both heroines embrace hijab to become their representation and self protector in what could be sometimes unfriendly setting. Embracing this symbol means fighting against the westerner's perception of hijab. Thus, it is not a barrier to interact with others. Although she poses herself strongly in her work as an Islamic feminist, she hopes in future to do it through a male protagonist. Therefore, her third novel will have five male characters. In both novels, Abuolela draws attention to the political reflection of post- colonial Sudan and the still persistent dichotomies between East and West. Aboulela reveals the consequences of the British colonialism resulting in a fragmented post- colonial culture that is politically and socially unstable. The people still alternate between love and hatred to the west, as some admire the west while others despise everything western. Some believe in the superiority of the “white” and still view themselves as inferior. Aboulela also points out, that colonialism convinced the natives that they are primitives and uncivilized by referring to them as 'Third World' in comparison to the west where it is modern and civilized. The modern generations 3 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=98991&d=27&m=7&y=200 Al-Asmakh 4 who are exposed to the West are the best advocates of the superiority of the West as they compare between both settings, emphasizing the advancement and civilization of the West. The two major cultural settings in both novels are the post-colonial fragmented culture of Sudan and multiculturalism that is experienced in the West (England and Scotland). In both novels the cultural aspects that are presented define the characters and play a major role in their identity formation, and most importantly in their identity crises. Culture determines a person’s affiliation to a certain geographical place, certain traditions and norms, and as well as determine certain behaviors. Culture proved to be a main component of one’s identity and its loss is a reason for one’s identity loss. The definition of culture varies from one place to another. A general definition of culture is "the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving." 4Culture is the "mental code" or "mental blueprint" that distinguishes a member of a group from another5. The post-colonial culture of Sudan as depicted in both novels reveals the troubling state of the nation and its people. Post-colonial culture in both novels plays a main role in both shaping and contributing to the main heroines’ sense of alienation and displacement. Many Theorists of Post-colonialism have focused on the social and cultural effect of colonialism. Post-colonialism in literature and arts assumes the following: "Colonial alienation. Colonialism leads to the alienation of the native in 4 Choudhury, Ifte. "CULTURE." 12 Apr. 2009 <http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html>. 5 Dahl, Kathleen A. "Culture." 12 Apr. 2009 <http://www2.eou.edu/~kdahl/cultdef.html>. Al-Asmakh 5 his own land. This is described as a traumatic experience that erodes the individual’s identity, ambivalence towards authority and cultural relativism which means that the colonialists’ defilement of culture is socially, morally and politically incorrect."6 The effect of colonialism shows the most on the culture of the ex-colonized nation as been inherited through generations that still suffer from the outcomes of colonialism. Multiculturalism is often used to refer to cultural diversity which includes (though not restricted to) language, race, ethnic background, country or region of origin, dress, values, religion and associated practices, social and community responsibilities, sexuality, disability, notions of family, family responsibilities and political view. Caleb Rosado defines multiculturalism as: "a system of beliefs and behaviors that recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in an organization or society, acknowledges and values their socio-cultural differences, and encourages and enables their continued contribution within an inclusive cultural context which empowers all within the organization or society."7 However recent literature claims that multiculturalism makes people more distinct than they really are and it exaggerates the internal unity as well as the overall difference between cultures. Thus, we can split opinions about Multiculturalism into two: the supporters who believe of its advantages and the critics who are confident that it will damage the society and harm the majority while trying to consider the right of minorities. Both novels reveal the positives as well as negatives of multiculturalism.
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