Of chora and the taming of the political uncanny : Sir Walter Scott’s the Highland Widow as a nationalizing tale
Other Title(s)
عن الوعاء و ترويض الغرائبي سياسيا : رواية سير والتر سكوت “أرملة مرتفعات اسكتلنده“ كحكاية حول تكوين الوطن
Author
Source
Journal of Arts and Social Sciences
Issue
Vol. 9, Issue 1 (30 Apr. 2018), pp.5-22, 18 p.
Publisher
Sultan Qaboos University College of Arts and Social Sciences
Publication Date
2018-04-30
Country of Publication
Oman
No. of Pages
18
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
The argument and conclusions of this study do not contradict the positions that have been taken with regard to Scott’s Toryism and its endorsement of Britishization.
The study, however, takes issue with critical approaches that sidestep the implicit connections of Scott’s pro-Britishization and his approach to the problem of the Scottish antisyzygy to key framing theoretical notions.
Focusing on the underreserached The Highland Widow, the study explores two framing notions— chora and the political uncanny— that illuminate Scott’s discourse on Britishization in a post-Culloden era.
The study posits that the novella considers the immediate post-Culloden experiences of the Gael subject in terms of a dialectical interrelationship among the nationalizing tale, the uncanny (which should be rejected), and chora (which should be endorsed and trusted).
To put succinctly this interrelationship, the nationalizing tale envisions an ideal egalitarian political structure.
While the cultural taming of the political uncanny provides the Gael male subject with a focused rational mind that helps him acknowledge the demands for sociopolitical sobriety and the proper channeling of cultural values to fulfill lucrative pursuits, chora, a receptacle-like space that works affectively to install in the Gael a desire for assimilating into a newly emerging national collectivity, provides a structured space in which he reconstitutes himself within the abstract identity of Britishness.
The novella emphasizes three processes that mark the future national state: the hegemony of Anglicization is bridled, Celticism is reformed, and Britishization configures as a guiding secular logos.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Ali, Zahrah Ahmad Husayn. 2018. Of chora and the taming of the political uncanny : Sir Walter Scott’s the Highland Widow as a nationalizing tale. Journal of Arts and Social Sciences،Vol. 9, no. 1, pp.5-22.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-838200
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Ali, Zahrah Ahmad Husayn. Of chora and the taming of the political uncanny : Sir Walter Scott’s the Highland Widow as a nationalizing tale. Journal of Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 9, no. 1 (2018), pp.5-22.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-838200
American Medical Association (AMA)
Ali, Zahrah Ahmad Husayn. Of chora and the taming of the political uncanny : Sir Walter Scott’s the Highland Widow as a nationalizing tale. Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. 2018. Vol. 9, no. 1, pp.5-22.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-838200
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references : p. 21-22
Record ID
BIM-838200