30046 - Arab Literature 1 (2nd cycle)

Course contents

The course aims to provide an in-depth exploration of contemporary literary and comics production in the Arab countries, with particular attention to three specific contexts: Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt. The analysis will be based on the study of selected passages drawn from novels, short stories, and comics, which will serve as the basis for a critical examination of the main themes, authors, and forms of expression.

The course is divided into three parts, corresponding to the three case studies:

1) Palestine

An overview of Palestinian literature from the Nakba (1948) to the present will be provided. Starting from central themes such as memory, ghurba, and exile, the course will examine a number of contemporary authors and analyze selected works. It will then reflect on how these same themes are revisited and reworked in art and comics.

2) Lebanon

An overview of Lebanese literature from the civil war (1975) to the present will be presented. Particular attention will be devoted to the themes of memory and war-related trauma, as well as to the representation of the city of Beirut in contemporary cultural and literary production. Novels and comics by selected major authors will be discussed and analyzed.

3) Egypt

An overview of Egyptian literature will be provided, with particular focus on literary production before and after the 2011 revolution (the so-called Arab Spring). The course will examine a number of well-known authors and their novels. Finally, it will discuss how the revolutionary fervor and the subsequent disillusionment were also reflected in the development and themes of many comics.

Readings/Bibliography

Testi primari

ʿAdaniyā Šiblī, Tafṣīl ṯānawī. Bayrūt: al-Ādāb, 2017. (brani scelti)

(al-) ʿAswānī, ʿAlāʾ. Jumhūriyya kaʾanna. Bayrūt: Dār al-Ādāb, 2018. (brani scelti)

Kanafānī, Ġassān. ʿĀʾid ilà Ḥayfā. Bayrūt: Dār al-ʿAwda, 1969. (brani scelti)

Kirbāǧ, Māzin. Risāla ilà al-umm. In Samandal 13. Bayrūt: Samandal, 2012.

(al-) Khūrī,ʿUmar. 2017. Yūtūbiā. Beirut: Samandal. (brani scelti)

Mirhiǧ, Līnā. Aʿtaqidu annanā sanakūnu ḥādʾīna fī l-ḥarb al-muqbila. Bayrūt: Dār Qunbuz, 2006. (brani scelti)

Sabāʿina, Muḥammad. Anā Aḥbabtu al‑Ḥikāyah. Filasṭīn: [autopubblicato], 2020. (brani scelti)

Testi secondari

Acconcia, Giuseppe, Giulia Aiello, Laura Menin e Caterina Roggero. Mondi arabi. Una guida essenziale. Milano: Bompiani, 2024.

Camera d’Afflitto Isabella. Cento anni di cultura palestinese. Roma: Carocci, 2007.

Comito, Chiara & Silvia Moresi (a cura di). Arabpop: arte e letteratura in rivolta dai Paesi arabi. Eterotopie, n. 622. Milano: Mimesis, 2020.

Corrao, Francesca Maria & Monica Ruocco (a cura di). Letteratura araba. 2 voll. Milano: Mondadori. Vol 2, 2024.

Di Ricco, Massimo. “Drawing for a New Public: Middle Eastern 9th Art and the Emergence of a Transnational Graphic Movement”, In Binita Mehta & Pia Mukherji (eds.), Postcolonial Comics: Texts, Events, Identities. Routledge, 2015.

Ghaibeh, Lina, & Simona Gabrieli. Nouvelle Génération: La Bande Dessinée Arabe Aujourd’hui. The New Generation: Arab Comics Today, Marseille: Alifbata, 2017.

Høigilt, Jacob. “Egyptian comics and the challenge to patriarchal authoritarianism”. International Journal of Middle East Studies 49(1). 111–131, 2017.

Høigilt, Jacob. Comics in Contemporary Arab Culture: Politics, Language and Resistance, London/New York: I.B.Tauris, 2019.

Licitra, Ilenia. “Da Drawing the War (2002) a Salām (2019): linguaggi, memorie e identità nella produzione di Lena Merhej”. La Rivista di Arablit XII (24). 113–32, 2022.

Merhej, Lena Irmgard. “Men with Guns: War Narratives in New Lebanese Comics”, In Binita Mehta & Pia Mukherji (eds.), Postcolonial Comics: Texts, Events, Identities. Routledge, 2015.

Nachabe Taan, Yasmine. “Blogging in Times of War: The July 2006 War in Lebanon and Mazen Kerbaj Imaging the Unimaginable”. In Tatiana Prorokova & Nimrod Tal (eds.), Cultures of War in Graphic Novels: Violence, Trauma, and Memory, Ithaca, NY: Rutgers University Press. 204-224, 2018.

Pepe Teresa. Blogging from Egypt: Digital Literature, 2005–2016. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2019.

Teaching methods

1) Lectures

 

2) Interactive lectures

 

3) Pair and/or group activities

Assessment methods

The assessment consists of an oral examination designed to evaluate students' command of the topics covered in the course. In particular, students will be assessed on their ability to present clear and well-structured arguments, their command of the specialized terminology introduced during the course, and their ability to analyze the texts examined.

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office ( https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and your teacher immediately to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams.
Any requests for exam accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the teacher and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Teaching tools

Audio and video materials, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and other materials provided by the professor and made available on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Giulia Aiello