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Transmediterranean Identity Constructions in the Works of Najat El Hachmi and Dalila Kerchouche

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Transmediterranean Identity Constructions in the Works of Najat El Hachmi and Dalila Kerchouche Writing the In-Between: Transmediterranean Identity Constructions in the Works of Najat El Hachmi and Dalila Kerchouche Meritxell Joan Rodríguez Aquesta tesi doctoral està subjecta a la llicència Reconeixement- NoComercial 4.0. Espanya de Creative Commons. Esta tesis doctoral está sujeta a la licencia Reconocimiento - NoComercial 4.0. España de Creative Commons. This doctoral thesis is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. Spain License. DOCTORAL DISSERTATION Writing the In-Between: Transmediterranean Identity Constructions in the Works of Najat El Hachmi and Dalila Kerchouche Meritxell Joan Rodríguez PhD Supervisors Marta Segarra Montaner Mònica Rius Piniés Tutor Mònica Rius Piniés Doctoral Programme Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Studies Writing the In-Between: Transmediterranean Identity Constructions in the Works of Najat El Hachmi and Dalila Kerchouche Meritxell Joan Rodríguez PhD Supervisors Marta Segarra Montaner Mònica Rius Piniés Tutor Mònica Rius Piniés Doctoral Programme Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Studies Research line Construction and Representation of Cultural Identities University of Barcelona Faculty of Philology and Communication Barcelona, September 2019 Generar sentido es una cuestión de colaboración […], es un acto que se forma y sostiene a partir de los libros que los escritores leen, las personas con las que interactúan, y los siglos de historia cultural que pululan bajo su piel. Gloria Anzaldúa, “To(o) Queer The Writer’ – Loca, escritora y chicana” C’est pour cela aussi que la fiction tout comme les recherches sont nécessaires, parce qu’elles sont tout ce qui reste pour combler les silences transmis entre les vignettes d’une génération à l’autre. Alice Zeniter, L’Art de perdre AGRADECIMIENTOS Hace años, leí en alguna parte una cita de Stuart Hall que afirmaba que la identidad es una conversación siempre inconclusa. Aquella idea se sumó a otros sedimentos que, poco a poco, conformaron el empuje definitivo que me llevó a emprender esta tesis. Las siguientes líneas quieren ser un agradecimiento a todas aquellas personas que en el viaje doctoral me han ayudado a pensar sobre lo que significan las identidades y las identificaciones; a quienes han dialogado conmigo, con los textos que he elegido por compañía, y me han ayudado a resolver dudas, me han aportado herramientas de análisis. También a quienes han planteado preguntas para colocarme en el terreno de la problematización constante, el territorio que mejor acoge la noción de pertenencia, y el que sigo transitando. Esta investigación ahonda en la memoria, y teoriza sobre sus olvidos, y así como no recuerdo dónde leí la frase de Hall, es posible que olvide listar algún nombre; queda inscrito en el diálogo que he pretendido articular en este trabajo. En primer lugar, quisiera hacer constar aquí el marco académico que ha hecho posible esta tesis. Como beneficiaria de una ayuda para la formación de profesorado universitario concedida por el Ministerio de Educación, fui becaria del Centre Dona i Literatura de la Universitat de Barcelona (hoy ADHUC–Centre de Recerca Teoria, Gènere, Sexualitat) desde 2014 hasta 2018. Agradezco a quienes me acompañaron en mis años como becaria, en los que aprendí a ser mejor lectora y mejor compañera. A Marta Segarra le agradezco haber confiado en la idea de tesis que le presenté, y el haber sabido darle forma, sugiriendo caminos de pensamiento que conformaron el andamiaje definitivo sobre el que he construido mis reflexiones. A Mònica Rius le doy las gracias por sumarse al proyecto y enriquecerlo con voces que le han aportado fonemas y ecos que no tenía cuando lo empecé. Gracias por las lecturas atentas y generosas de ambas, que se han complementado en todo momento y me han ayudado a aproximarme al espacio mediterráneo desde un entendimiento plural y heterogéneo. Le doy las gracias a Rosa Rius por su empuje y sus ánimos; participar en el Taller de tesis supuso un punto de inflexión en el desarrollo de la misma. A las profesoras que participaron en la sesión les agradezco sus aportaciones. Asimismo, en mi formación doctoral he podido desempeñarme como docente en distintas ocasiones. Esta experiencia ha contribuido a enriquecer los análisis de mi investigación. Por ello, agradezco a mis v alumnxs su curiosidad y sus preguntas. Como doctoranda he formado parte de la red RUSEMEG, que me ha puesto en contacto con investigadoras de otras geografías y sobre todo con otrxs doctorandxs con quienes he podido contrastar opiniones y compartir dudas y logros. Agradezco de manera muy especial a Khadidja su amistad. Además, desde 2014 hasta 2017 fui asistente editorial de la publicación Expressions maghrébines. De quien es hoy su directora, Edwige Tamalet Talbayev, aprendí como investigadora. Por ello, y por haberme considerado siempre como parte de su equipo a pesar de la distancia física, le estoy agradecida. La obra de Gloria Anzaldúa fue la semilla de esta tesis; siempre agradeceré a Souad el haberme introducido en el universo chicano y en su compleja red de reflexiones. Agradezco a Rob que leyera y complementara mis primeras incursiones en la academia, y a Nadia que las siga alimentando. A Bàrbara que me enseñara que el espacio académico que se quiere rígido y bien regulado puede, de hecho, desbordarse. A mis compañeras de doctorado, hoy amigas, Adina, Erica e Izaskun; ellas son las migrantes con quienes más he compartido. A Chile, al chile cuir y anarkopunk, a la Ale y a la Vale, por proporcionarme empuje y contagiarme su energía transformadora en el tramo en el que más lo necesitaba. Y a Paulina, por insuflarme fuerzas siempre. A Edgar y a Carmen, quienes en los inicios de la investigación me ayudaron a tirar del hilo de la memoria y a glosar los textos que se han ido expandiendo en cada lectura compartida. Gracias a mis lectorxs, Anita y Jaume, por sus atinadas sugerencias, por su paciencia, por su generosidad. A Itzea, por leerme y leer conmigo, y por labrar nuevas rutas de conocimiento que me dotan de herramientas para seguir interrogando mi entorno. Gracias a Miki y a Ona por sus versos. A Sílvia, Moha, Max, Xavi, Irma, Sophia, Sergi, Valèria, Hanan, Èlia, Mireia, Lucas, Estefi, Paula y David, a quienes he ido conociendo mientras esta tesis crecía, y me han brindado apoyo y contagiado energía creativa. A Jordi, Isabel y Andy, que me han ayudado con la gestión logística que acompaña un trabajo académico. A Stéphanie le doy las gracias por haber querido transmitir la voluntad transformadora que fundamenta esta tesis. vi Gracias a quienes han compartido conmigo sus experiencias migratorias; sus relatos me han ayudado a coser el mío y han dotado de sentido a esta investigación. Gracias a quienes han sabido acompañarme desde los inicios: Mireia, Amanda, Raquel, Danae. A Gerardo. A Ignasi y a Mireia, con quienes comparto mirada y ritmo vital, y a quienes admiro. A Gerard, que ha sido y es la tinta con la que me narro. Agradezco especialmente a Najat El Hachmi el haberse mostrado siempre cercana y generosa con su tiempo y sus reflexiones. Gracias a Pedro y a Manuela, que abrazaron lo incierto y se atrevieron a multiplicar raíces y a reproducir cimientos; a Conxita y a Pere, que migraron del campo a territorio urbano y me legaron un catalán de expresiones intraducibles. A Marcel, por nutrirme de su amor por la lengua y la palabra escrita. A Pepi, que heredó y me dio herencia. vii viii ABSTRACT This dissertation aims to put forward a thorough reflection on contemporary processes of identity constructions, both individual and collective, which are criss-crossed by experiences of migration inscribed within the Mediterranean space, which I consider in its heterogeneity. Through two specific case studies, approached from a comparative and gender perspective, I look at subjects who understand themselves as tied to (physical and symbolic) experiences of displacement and claim fluid subjectivities. The works by Najat El Hachmi (Beni Sidel, 1979) and Dalila Kerchouche (Bias, 1973) present different factual dimensions and textual fabrics and are of a polyphonic nature. Because they pay attention to the multi-layered consequences that enfold from population movements, their nuanced considerations represent a precious guideline of sorts in understanding the syncretic fabric that shapes our world. I use the literary texts produced by these two authors of Maghrebi origin who grew up in Europe in order to filter my analyses, for I believe that the attentive regard that literature enables is of great value when it comes to problematizing rigid understandings of identity. Both El Hachmi and Kerchouche inherited an experience of migration, initiated by their fathers, that led them to embody and undertake different interstitial positions in Catalonia and France, where they respectively live. In their works, they dwell on all these “in- between” positions that they, as writers, and the characters that they portray occupy. To do so, they use autobiographical essays first and, later on, fiction in order to delve into inherited cultural traditions, to contest clear-cut identity labels, and to explore the languages and experiences that have shaped their subjectivities. I thus read these texts as the tools that the authors use to enter into a dialogical relationship with their European societies, societies that, I argue, perceive them as an immigrant (in El Hachmi’s case) and as a harki (in the case of Kerchouche). As such, I critically consider El Hachmi’s and Kerchouche’s works as literary products and also as political artefacts that bespeak the authors’s agency. The thesis is divided into two sections, “In Between Labels” and “In Between Languages, Memories and Spaces” –each containing two chapters–, which account for the different elements playing a part in the construction of their individual and collective identities ix –a concept, that of identity, that I approach using epistemological cues borrowed from several disciplines, mainly those of postcolonial studies and the decolonial school, as I explain in the Introduction.
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