Making History Usable: Al-Andalus as a Site of Identity Construction in Arab American Women’s Narratives

• Main Author: Kareem Al-Jayikh Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2017-12-01
• Series: Gender Studies
• Subjects: 9/11; Al-Andalus; cultural memory; identity; women’s history
• Online Access: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/genst.2018.16.issue-1/genst-2018-0003/genst-2018-0003.xml?format=INT

In ethnic literature, the historical and cultural past constantly haunt the present, producing contemporary narratives which emphasize how the heritage plays an essential role in preserving ethnic identity. From a trans-historical perspective, Arab American women’s narratives tend to turn the history of Al-Andalus (Medieval Moorish Spain) into cultural memory as a way of coping with the threats to their existence in the United States, particularly post-9/11, as well as of resisting the hegemonic culture. The aim of this paper is to investigate how Al-Andalus is intended to be seen as a construct of cultural memory and how this site of memory has the power to reshape individual and collective identity.