Countering normalized violence in aboulela’s “the museum” and el guindi’s “trading in my Arab”

Abstract EN

This study is designed to unsettle eurocentric discourse that justifies violence against arabs in the west through a careful examination of leila aboulela’s (2002) “the museum” and yousef el guindi’s (2003) “trading in my arab.” it delves into the issue of structural violence through which reductionist narratives are produced and disseminated via cultural institutions to dehumanize arabs and normalize discrimination against them.

the study draws on johan galtung’s conception of structural violence and theories of eurocentric discourse to question the process of knowledge production about colonized nations.

it uses an analytical and comparative approach in critiquing aboulela’s and el guindi’s counter- narratives that undermine the west’s through revealing the complexity of colonial legacies and attempting to rewrite history, and thereby restoring dignity to violated arab cultures.

the analysis suggests that museums and mass media represented through “the museum” and “trading in my arab” function as a means of oppression utilized by imperialists to ensure their domination over other nations or marginalized groups.

it leads to the conclusion that although eurocentric discourse dehumanizes arabs and muslims, their literary production humanizes them again and works to decolonize knowledge about them.