CULTURAL DISCOURSE ON THE MUSLIM WOMAN IN AFRICAN FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE ~atimaHusain A thesis in cornformity witb the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of French University of Toronto O Copyright by Fatima Husain 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale l*l of,,,, du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Qttawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Yow iUe Votre refer8nce Our fi& Notre rtif6renc.e The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence ailowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/^ de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation, ABSTRACT CZTI;TURAL DISCOURSE ON THE MUSLI34 WOMAN IN AFRIW FEiANCOPHONE LITERATURE Ph.D., 1997 Fatima Husain Graduate Department of French University of Toronto In this study, we undertake a socio-cultural analysis of female existence in narrative spaces produced by African francophone writers of Muslirn cultural background. We begin this analysis with the premise that one of the fundamental cornponents of any culture is a set of values rooted in religious doctrine. Since the literary text is also a component of that same culture, we can state that texts produced in a Muslirn cultural context are implicitly influenced by Islamic doctrine and traditions. In this intertextual study, an examination of the construction of space as well as spatio-temporal relationships in an Islamic society is followed by an analysis of the organization of gendered spaces along with that of fernale existence in narrative discourses by both male and fernale African Muslim writers. One of the principal goals of this study is to describe precisely the role of Islamic socio-cultural noms in the creation of the ~usïimfernale in the literary text. The social realist treatment of the fernale character by African Muslim writers is not a simple mimetic production of a literary Islamic universe in which the female character is objectified and silenced by patriarchal practices. While maintaining a specific cultural context, the literary text also functions as an initiator of change , announcing a rupture with social realities as well as a social re-de£ inition of the female character . iii There are many who have assisted and supported me on the long journey that has culminated in this work. 1 would like to begin by thanking Dr. Mary Donaldson-Evans of the University of Delaware. She had confidence in my academic abilities and without her encouragement 1 would not be writing this today. ~dditionally,1 wish to thank Mrs. Susan C. Lee, who witnessed my personal transformation, and whose assistance in finding 'financial aidr eased the economic burden borne by many international students. At the University of Toronto, 1 would like to thank my dissertation cornmittee: Dr. Michael Marmuxa, Dr. Owen Miller and particularly, my thesis advisor Dr. Frederick 1. Case for his constant guidance, moral support and intellectual insights. 1 thank al1 my friends, both in the U.S.A. and Canada. Their light-hearted Company, friendship and encouragement will always be rernembered and appreciated. I am grateful for the generosity of al1 ny Torontonian relatives, in particular, that of my two Khalas, who fed and housed me whenever the need presented itself. With deep gratitude, 1 thank rny parents, Zia U1-Husain and Fizza Elusain, for their faith, strength, and sacrifice as well as their belief in gender equality in education. Their courage in perrnitting a naive and protected teenager to travel halfway around the world to pursue a university education cannot be under estimated. 1 thank rny eldest brother, Pervez Abdullah, for his assistance during crucial periods of my stay in Canada. 1 am grateful to Viqar Husain for always 'being therer.He is not only a big brother but also a friend, advisor and confidante as well as an occasional emergency bank account. My unyielding support on this difficult path has been my husband, Ulrich Hansen. He has made me laugh and has kept my spirits high and 1 will always be grateful for his patience. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER PATRIARCHY AND ISLAMIC SOCIETY SPACE, TIME AND THE I%MMAH III FEMALE ONTOLOGY AND LITERARY MARITAL SPACE POLYGYNOUS RELATIONSHIPS 1 POLYGYNOUS flELATIONSHIPS II THE MARGLNALIZED SOLITARY FEMALE SHATTERING THE SILENCE COMMUNAL STRUGGLE AND FEMAI;E IDENTITY CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST OF TABLES 4.1 Social Status in the Literary Ummah 5.1 A Comparaison of Literary Co-wives 7.1 Female Expression in Literary Space vii LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Sabbah's Socio-religious Hierarchy 2.1 Social Space and Hierarchical Relationships 2.2 Historical The 2.3 Al -dahr and Al -zamân 4.1 Female Characters and Marital Spaces 6.1 A Female Social Hierarchy viii INTRODUCTION The social, political, economic and spiritual status of the Muslim woman has become one of the most discussed topics of Our era. From popular media coverage to serious intellectual studies, the Muslirn woman has become a challenge, to be analyzed, vilif ied, condernned, pitied and glorif ied, ail depending on national, regional, religious or personal allegiances and perspectives. Presenting an ambiguous figure, veiled or unveiled, oppressed or 'freef, hidden or exposed, her image and identity have been freely discussed, often without her own input. Television talk-show discussions, documentary and feature films as well as magazine and newspaper articles have al1 devoted rnuch time to the subject of the Muslim woman as object. Popular literature recounting actual life stories, has not ignored her; bestsellers such as Not Without Mv Daucshterl, and Princess: A true stem of life behind the veil in Saudi ~rabia2 have described the subjugation and repression of the f emafe being in a Muslim society. While critical works by both orthodox and unorthodox Muslin men and women as well as intellectuals from differing Betty Mahmoody, Not Without Mv Daucrhter (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991). Jean P. Sasson, d the VelI. in- Saudi Arabia (New York: William Marrow and Co., 1992) . socio-cultural backgrounds have examined and analyzed the construct '~uslimwoman' from his torical, sociological and religious perspectives, literature has continued to be a dornain where the analysis of the Muslirn woman as a literary character has remained at a level of generalities. Literary critics have more often discussed the female character rather than the 'Muslirn womanf character as a socialized being constructed £rom an ideology of female repression and objectification. ~f,for the purpose of this study, which examines literary portrayals of the socialized female being, we begin with the statement: a [literary] text is imbibed with cultural versions O£ what constitutes a woman3 then we, firstly, need to discuss what is meant by 'culturalf and, secondly, how this relates to our discussion and choice of francophone literature. If culture can be poetically defined as a 'rich silk brocade of multicolored threadsw4 which creates a particular social space, then each of these colored threads serves a specific purpose, and is equally significant in the construction of that space. The term 'culturef has many definitions, it implies a set of shared values, cornmon popular practices, a code of Carolyn J. Allen, Feminist Criticism and Postmodernism, Tracinq Literarv Theorv, ed. Joseph Natoli (Chicago: U of Illinois, 1987) 281, Michael J. Fischer, Sacred Circles: Iranian (Zoroastrian and Shi 'ite) Feasting and Pilgrimage Circuits, Sacred Places and Profane S~aces: Essavs in the ~eoarawhicsof Judaism, Christianitv and Islam, ed. JI Scott and P Simpson-Housley (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991) 131. appropriate conduct5 as well as artistic products emanating from a social group. If a culture is a composition of al1 the elements, moral, spiritual, economic and artistic that make up a collective existence, then one can state that one of the basic structural cornponents of a society is a set of values that have significant transformational power and are deeply rooted in a sacred/religious tradition: On ne peut comprendre notre représentation du monde, nos conceptions philosophiques sur l'âme, sur l'immortalité, sur la vie, si l'on ne comaPt pas les croyances religieuses qui ont été la forme première. The religious ideology of a social group is fundamental to the creation of an organized society out of an existing chaos as well as in the construction of an existing, rneaningful social being from the non-socialized male or fernale. A religious ideology which assists the human being in making sense out of confusion, structuring order out of chaos, instilling a sense of being rather than nothingness, becomes a source of essential and existential definition which satisfies the "soif ontologiqueM7 of the human being. The order constructed £rom a socio-sacral ideology, organizing physical space and imbibing the social being with essence, also V. M. Moghadam. Women and Identity Politics. in theoretical and Comparative Perspectives, Identitv Politics. and Women - 1 tural, peassertions and Femininisms in an International Pers~ective, ed. V. M. Moghadam (London: Westview 1993) 3-26. Laurent Mucchielli, Durkheim et la révolution des sciences humaines. & Recherche, 25:268 (sept., 1994) 896-902.