Gender and Identity in Arab Women's Literature: Ink and Identity
By (Author) Diana Obeid
Edited by Sonia Lamrani
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Bloomsbury Academic
16th October 2025
United Kingdom
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Hardback
288
Width 152mm, Height 229mm
Gender and Identity in Arab Women's Literature: Ink and Identity follows the journey of Arab women from being silenced in male-authored texts to finding their voices in fiction, memoir, and theater. Whether writing from the streets, prisons, or within the broader socio-political world, Arab women have carved out spaces for themselves in areas once thought off-limits.
The contributors analyze how these women challenge stereotypes, take back control of their stories, and push back against restrictive gender roles. Through the work of scholars like Foucault and Butler, the book looks at the dynamics of power, identity, and body politics in their writings. It offers a new understanding of how womens voices continue to challenge and transform the narratives around them. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the powerful, ongoing role women play in shaping their own stories in the Middle East.
Diana Obeid is the founding Co-Director of the Middle East and North Africa studies at Christopher Newport University and teaches Arabic, Middle East studies, women and gender in the Arab world, and cultural studies.
Sonia Lamrani is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Boumerdes and an Associate Researcher at the University of Birmingham.