Defragmenting Identity in the Life Narratives of Iraqi North American Women by Lamees Al Ethari A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2014 © Lamees Al Ethari 2014 Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This dissertation examines contemporary Iraqi North American women’s life narratives within the frame of postcolonial autobiography theory. Through narrating their experiences of oppression, war, and displacement these women reveal the fragmentation of identity that occurs under such unsettling situations. However, I argue that in the course of narrating their stories and in spite of the fragmentation they suffer, these women are able to establish selves that distinguish and recover from fragmentation and loss through a process I term defragmentation. They are able to defragment their identities by reconstructing unique selves through the act of life narration, through relational remembering, and finally by resisting patriarchal and Western influences on how they perceive themselves and their experiences. Thus they are able to defragment their sense of disjointedness and reaffirm their sense of Iraqiness, even in the diaspora. This study explores the major causes of fragmentation in the work, which are divided into trauma and displacement. Unlike the studies and statistics that political approaches and media coverage have provided, these works shed light on the disruptions caused by war, oppression, separation from loved ones, and exile in the daily lives of these narrators or the lives of their friends and relatives. Therefore, in addition to the new identity that these women create in order to cope with their new lives in the West, they also construct a hybrid identity that is capable of recollecting and narrating these traumatic experiences. Within the space of hybridity, Iraqi North American women have to deal with vast differences between Western and Middle Eastern cultures; the transformation entails not just a change of place but an acceptance or understanding of a new culture, a new religion, and a new identity. The struggle of settlement, or re-settlement, becomes that of establishing an identity that does reflect the stereotypical images of Middle iii Eastern women in Western perceptions and a struggle to maintain selves that can contain both the past life and the present in what can be considered a third space. Although the main topic of this dissertation is defragmentation in the life narrations of Iraqi North American women, this study also covers the cultural and political history of Arabs in general, and of Iraqis specifically. There are also references to the migrations of Arabs to North America and a brief background of the roots of Arab North American literature. These topics will be discussed in order to provide an understanding of the histories from which these women, or their families, have migrated and their positions within Western culture and scholarship. In addition, this approach provides an insight into the complexities of these women’s identities that reflect multi-layered affiliations, interests, and cultures. The works chosen for this study include written and oral life narratives by Iraqi North American women who write from Canada and the United States. These works are Zaineb Salbi’s Between Two Worlds: Escape From Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam (2005), Dunya Mikhail’s A Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea (2009) and a National Film Board documentary titled Baghdad Twist (2007), by Jewish Iraqi Canadian Joe Balass. In the documentary, Joe Balass interviews his mother, Valentine Balass, as she recounts growing up in Iraq and later experiencing exile from her homeland. The final work I address is The Orange Trees of Baghdad: In Search of My Lost Family (2007) by Leilah Nadir, a Canadian born Iraqi writer. Through her memoir Nadir tries to reconnect with her father’s family in Iraq while uncovering their traumatic experiences of the Gulf War. The narrators in my research belong to different social classes, age groups, and practice different religions, but they all identify themselves as Iraqi women. These women, through their interpretations of living life between two (or more) cultures, offer important perspectives not iv only on their own ethnic society, but also on the role of ethnic women in North American society in general. There has been a massive increase in the migration of Iraqi women to North America in the last thirty years; their perspectives on political, social, and religious changes are an important part of understanding the experiences of this ethnic group. Through their life narratives, these women are able to display their unique selves by portraying their ability to contest the boundaries and limitations of borders and societies that try to eliminate one identity or the other. v Acknowledgements I have been blessed throughout my journey, as a migrant and as an academic, to have my husband by my side. He has been my companion as we struggled to survive the most difficult times in our lives and celebrate the most precious moments. He has always believed in my ability to overcome any obstacle. I am grateful for his support, his understanding, and his abiding love. I am thankful to my children who have provided limitless support through their encouraging smiles and hugs. My parents and my siblings have also been my personal cheerleaders; they have always been ready to hear my complaints and subdue my fears through their love and guidance. I am forever grateful for their support and faith in me. I would like to thank my supervisor and mentor Dr. Linda Warley for the advice and support she has offered me from my first year as a PhD student at the University of Waterloo. Her encouragement throughout these past years has always led me to explore new perspectives and achieve new heights. My committee members, Dr. Heather Smyth and Dr. Victoria Lamont, have guided and encouraged me throughout this process. I would like to thank them both for the effort and time they spent in providing their valuable feedback and comments. Their doors have always been open and they have always been willing to assist me with advice and guidance. I would also like to thank my external examiners Dr. Evelyn Alsultany and Suzan Ilcan for their extensive feedback. Their comments and discussions were insightful and will definitely help me in further expanding my research. My experience at the University of Waterloo has been enhanced by a number of faculty and staff members. I would like to begin by thanking Dr. Easton, who encouraged me to apply vi for the program and always saw in me the ability to succeed. My deepest gratitude also goes to Dr. North, who has been a friend, a teacher, and a father figure throughout the program. I would also like to thank Dr. Condon for her supportive and encouraging conversations. Additionally, I would like to thank both Dr. Hirschkop and Dr. Harris for the time they have spent in providing their support as Graduate Advisors. Many thanks to Sarah Morse for her help and always welcoming smile. Her hard work and support is highly appreciated. I am also thankful to Fiona McAlister, Margaret Ulbrick, and Julie-Anne Desrochers for all the assistance they have provided throughout my time at the University of Waterloo. I would also like to thank Trevor Clews at the Graduate Studies Office for being so helpful and considerate. Finally, I would like to thank my second family here in Canada, my community of friends who have been my audience and my critics. They have created a home away from home for me and I would not have been able to survive without their assistance and encouragement. I am so fortunate to have them all in my life. vii Dedication For Iraqi women at home and in the diaspora. viii Table of Contents Author’s Declaration…………………………………………………………………………....ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………iii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..........vi . Dedication……………………………………………………………………………………....viii Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………….ix List of Figures……………………………………………………………………......................xi Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..1 1. Iraqi Women’s Life Narratives in Western Scholarship………………………………..7 2. Texts…………………………………………………………………………………….13 3. Methodology……………………………………………………………………………13 3.1 Autobiography and Relationality…………………………………………………...20 3.2 Postcolonial Theory: Complicating the Postcolonial……………………………….23 3.2.1. Postcolonial Positions……………………………………………………………28 4. Chapter Divisions………………………………………………………………………...29 Chapter One: A Historical and Cultural Introduction………………………………………….37 1. The Arabs………………………………………………………………………………37 2. Iraq: al-Iraq “having deep roots”……………………………………………………….49 2.1. Cultural and Political History……………………………………………………...49 2.1.1. The Effects of Political Changes on the Jewish Community in Iraq…………….53 2.2. The Three Iraqi Wars…………………………………………………………........58 2.3. The Affects of War on Iraqi Women……………………………………………....64 3. Arab North Americans: A Brief History……………………………………………......67 3.1. Arab Americans……………………………………………………………………70 3.2. Arab Canadians…………………………………………………………………….78 4. Arab North American Literature………………………………………………………..82