The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent: Religions and Conflicts in Francophone Literature from the Arab World

(Paperback)

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Description

The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent analyzes fiction, films, comics, autobiographical narratives, and essays by Francophone Arab writers whose Christian (Accad, Antaki, Chdid, Maalouf), Jewish (Albou, Cixous, El Maleh, Memmi), Muslim (Bachi, Benassa, Benguigui, Ben Jelloun, Boudjedra, Boudjellal, Meddeb, Mimouni), and secular (Sebbar) backgrounds are emblematic of the diversity of the Francophone Arab world. It examines how these writers represent the intertwining of religion and politics against the backdrop of the current international political context and the resurgence of religion. Focusing on a series of disputes commonly framed in religious terms (with Islam as the common denominator for all: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Lebanese and the Algerian civil wars, the affair of the Muslim headscarf in France, and 9/11), this book questions the effectiveness of the Francophone studies model in providing insights into the complexity of the Islamic Revival. The study concludes by unpacking the influence of politics on the translation of these works in the U.S. It brings heightened awareness to the modalities according to which a creative work can serve as a cultural mediator.

Reviews

Bourget (Univ. of Arizona) looks at contentious cultural, historical, religious, and political issues that have marked the works of Francophone authors in Arab, Christian, and Jewish North Africa and in the Middle East. Though the title reveals that the book encompasses three major religionsJudaism, Christianity, and Islamthe last of these weaves into most discussions and serves as a backdrop for the entire book. The author investigates most of the current controversies surrounding Islam (e.g., terrorism, the headscarf) and discusses how Arab authors contend with Islam as a subject, given recent negative attention to Muslims in the Western world. Bourget also addresses the ways Western readers receive Francophone Arab authors and considers the political implications for Western publishers who invest in such titles. The particular strength of Bourget's book is its accessibility to nonspecialists, who may be provoked to read further on the subject. The book also serves as a mini survey for experts in the field, who will appreciate the discussion of unresolved questions that have defined the relationship between the European/North American alliance and the Muslim, particularly the Arab, world. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *
The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent is a remarkable contribution to the study of cultures and Francophone literature of the Maghreb and Mashreq. The book identifies several sociocultural and political controversies of the current Arab world [and]. . . .encourages us to consider how the Arab writers of expression French, writing in France and elsewhere in the French-speaking diaspora, formulate their responses to Western discourse...about Arab peoples. . . .His thesis requires us to decipher the religious, political, economic, and cultural factors in order to analyze how to Arab-speaking authors negotiate their marginal space between two worlds that are often in opposition. His book shows that it is imperative that these two worlds are reconciled to confront the growing tensions in our globalized age. * Nouvelles tudes Francophones *
Her critical lens is particularly pertinent today in a world in which Islamic fundamentalism has become increasingly violent and acute political/religious problems in the region, such as the Palestine-Israeli conflict, have not been resolved. . . .[The book] is a provocative and interesting study organized thematically around a series of conflicts. . . .Bourgets text, admittedly provocative, is an important addition to francophone literary studies in its range of writers and its willingness to take on complex issues. It sensitizes readers to the importance of engaging in critical analyses that clarify rather than obfuscate thorny political and religious issues, for we readers sorely need texts that grant insight into the various political, cultural, and religious conflicts that plague the Middle East and North Africa today. * Research in African Literatures *
Bourget ingeniously elaborates a spirited and unapologetic critique of the political economy of publishing and translation in the United States and of the failures of canonized Franco-Arab littrateurs and comprador intellectuals to attend to the multiple grievances of their societies of origin at a time when their voices were in high demand. The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent is without a doubt an important step in the laudable endeavor to examine the role of Islam in ongoing decolonial struggles and a major contribution to the study of Francophone Arab literature and culture. -- Nouri Gana, University of California, Los Angeles
Carine Bourget boldly delivers a probing critique of firmly ensconced views of Islam, Muslim minorities in France, and Muslims in Arab Francophone societies. Bourget forcefully rearticulates thorny political and theoretical issues at the intersection of Islam, politics, history, and Francophone literature. Her analysis of Francophone cultural productions is an original and important contribution and is likely to spark a thoughtful and informed debate on issues at the core of the field of Francophone and cultural studies. -- Safoi Babana-Hampton, Michigan State University
This book represents a courageous, well articulated, and significant critique of important texts by both major and less well-known writers that scholars have generally shied away from criticizing. -- Anne Donadey, San Diego State University
[This book] provides a viable and authentic voice to the Holy Ghost Church congregation of working class African-American and African Caribbean in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. . . .In essence, Marina provides a[n] . . . objective, well-cited ethnography of a semi-autonomous Pentecostal church. His confession about being a non-religious, non-African Cuban-American, learned of the church through a colleague who belonged, leans credence to his search for objectivity . . . Scholars in the humanities will find this work a useful model to make inquiry of the shifting urban landscape . . . Scholars in theology and religious studies will benefit. . . .It is imperative that Pentecostal scholars and students critically examine the institutional church. * Pneuma: The Journal Of The Society For Pentacostal Studies *

Author Bio

Carine Bourget is associate professor of French and Francophone studies and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona.