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Decolonial Feminist Epistemologies of Border Crossing: a Comparative Study of Transnational Iranian and Iraqi Women’S Life Writing

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Decolonial Feminist Epistemologies of Border Crossing: a Comparative Study of Transnational Iranian and Iraqi Women’S Life Writing Decolonial Feminist Epistemologies of Border crossing: A Comparative Study of Transnational Iranian and Iraqi Women’s Life Writing Shima Shahbazi A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Program of International and Comparative Literary Studies Department of Arabic Language and Cultures School of Language and Cultures Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney 2019 2 3 This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. Shima Shahbazi 4 Abstract This thesis looks at a selected corpus of life writing narratives of transnational Iranian and Iraqi women writers from a decolonial and intersectional perspective. I apply an interdisciplinary methodology of mixed textual analysis and auto-ethnography, looking at narratives of lived experience in a way that allows for contradictions, complexities and epistemic salience. My intersectional analysis of memoir centres on the intersections of race, class, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and faith as sites of both oppression and privilege. A decolonial approach to reading memoir as a genre allows to see the reality of lived experience, multiplicity of selves and contradictions as a site of critical and political inquiry. A decolonial approach is concerned with the coloniality of power, whiteness and eurocentrism and the ways in which power attached to eurocentrism informs structures, institutions, systems of thought and inquiry. I use these conceptual frameworks to look at the testimonial narratives of Iranian and Iraqi, Christian and Muslim women of color, first and second generation of migrants coming from different social locations. I critique the postmodern and postcolonial readings of the genre of memoir and argue for a realist post-positivist reading of this genre which takes into consideration the epistemic value of lived experience despite being conscious of the discursive formations of knowledge, and the contradictions in experience itself. I argue that the minorities’ experience of border crossing raises a lot of inquiries that are of epistemological and political nature. This is why testimony narratives should be read closely. I look at the concepts of multiplicitous identity, world-travelling, homeland and borderland as travelling concepts in these narratives, show casing examples from these writings to argue that instead of calling transnational minority identities fragmented, we need to see their epistemic privilege which results from their critical perspective to life. The critical phenomenological perspective is the result of adaptability strategies that they have to deploy as border-crossers, new comers and people of color. Thus, not only should these narratives be read intersectionally, and in their context of production, but also in relation to other narratives. It is through the differences, self-contradictions and contradictions with mainstream knowledge that epistemic bodies are produced. After analysing the multiplicity of selves and the concept of home, I demonstrate how the act of care work as a feminist practice emerges in form of political participation from across the borders. For My Iranian corpus of study, I look at Azadeh Moaveni’s Lipstick Jihad (2005), Dina Nayeri’s Refuge (2017), Jasmine Darznik’s The Good Daughter (2011), and Azar Nafisi’s The Republic of Imagination (2014). My Iraqi corpus of study includes Leilah Nadir’s Orange Trees of Baghdad (2014), Haifa Zangana’s Dreaming of Baghdad (2009), and City of Widows (2011). 5 Building on decolonial feminist epistemology, this research contributes to the field of literary studies, introducing an interdisciplinary approach to reading the genre of life writing which despite critiquing lived experience as ‘pure’ knowledge, accredits women of color’s testimonies as epistemically salient and does not label them as ‘misery narrative’, ‘poornography for white shelves’, or ‘self-presenting, self-sexualizing narratives’. 6 To those who know Struggle And Never give up And for Babajoon Who passed two days after this 7 Acknowledgements I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Lucia Sorbera who believed in me and my passion for this thesis. I am grateful for her time, availability, and mental support throughout the process. Many thanks go to my associate supervisor A/Prof Rebecca Suter, for her great support and feedback especially at the final stage. I am indebted to these women for understanding me and my struggles. I would also like to thank the academics at Sydney School for Critical Social Thought, especially Prof. Allison Weir, Dr. Kiran Grewal, and Dr. Naser Ghobadzadeh for all the vibrant discussions and their encouragement. I am grateful to my friends for all the laughter, company, coffee and fun in the last four years: Carolina Quesada, Alifa Bandali, Paul Esber, Gabriella Edelstein, Jess Blain, Rossella Ibrahim, Anthony Coxeter, Vick Souliman, Rowan Payton, Ahlam Mustafa, Rafi Alam and Muhammad Mozaffari. I learned a lot in each and every of our conversations and will remember them forever. Many thanks goes to Patrick Cronin for reading some of my chapters and giving me feedback. Jeremy Roff and John Feain were inspirational trainers who took care of sanity by pushing me to lift heavier weights and not to go mad at the final stage of PhD. Many thanks to Dr. Nesrine Basheer, Dr. Farshad Zahedi, Cayathri, and especially, Dr. Robert Boncardo for their great support, friendly chats, and kindness. They were there for me when I needed kind ears to listen to my rants about life. Each and every one of our conversations contributed to the philosophical background of this thesis. My heartfelt thanks go to Maryam Alavi Niya, my sister, flatmate, shopping company and friend without whose kind support, baked goods, and delicious food, this thesis would not have been possible. She taught me the art of getting-it-together, and I will forever be grateful to her. Many thanks also to Sepideh Noohi, for all her support, morning chats and terrible shows that cheered me up after work. My most special thanks goes to three friends who were there for me, especially in the final stage, sat with me, and became the fresh eyes that I needed the most. Thanks to Daniela Panico for giving me strength when I was down and needed to be reminded that I can do this. I’m indebted to Claudia Sirdah, whose company is beyond friendship. She read my work, bought me happy cups, and helped me get where I am now with all the joy she brings to the world with her presence. Special thanks goes to Francesco Possemato, my colleague and friend who was there for me during my struggles, read my work, dealt with my verbosity and anxiety, and helped me with formatting. This thesis would have been impossible without these people, who are my family in Australia. 8 I am and will always be indebted to my family, who despite oceans of distance supported me every single day. My mom, Maryam has been my inspiration and hope all throughout the path of doing this PhD. My dad, Ehsan taught me the art of not giving up and staying strong. And, my little brother, Nima who is my best friend, supported me from across the borders and saved me every time I was close to falling down. Their incessant care and love cannot be repaid. Last but not least, I am grateful and indebted to my partner, Dr. Ehsan Golahmar. He loved me for who I am, supported me from afar, helped me in all stages of this PhD, read my work, and reminded me every day, that what I do is important and is worth being away from him and my family. Without his support, none of this transnational life would have been possible. 9 Table of Contents Contents Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review ...................................................................................... 18 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 18 1.2 Life writing as a genre ...................................................................................................................... 21 1.3 Iranian diasporic/transnational/exilic autobiography ................................................................ 25 1.4 Arab women’s autobiographical literature .................................................................................... 35 1.5 Transnational feminist politics and Middle Eastern women: .................................................... 43 1.6 Muslim women’s life writing: misery narrative or pornography? .............................................. 46 1.7 Muslim Woman as Other ................................................................................................................ 49 1.8 Indigenous feminisms versus global sisterhoods: ........................................................................ 52 Chapter Two: Critical Underpinnings ............................................................................................................ 55 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 55 2.2 Who they are and from where they speak: Transnational feminism and the politics of inclusion 56 2.3 Experience ......................................................................................................................................... 61 2.4 Story-telling
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