Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Politics Of Self-Representation In Abdelmajid Benjelloun’S Novel In Childhood : An Ambivalent And Displaced Morrocan « Self », Azize Kour

Dirassat

This article examines the politics of Moroccan cultural self- representation from a novelistic perspective. It attempts to foreground the ambivalent standpoint that many Moroccan novelists evince in imag (in) ing Moroccan cultural identity. A hybrid approach to the Self/ Other dialectic comes into play in this endeavour at self-definition. Importantly, this article tries to outline Moroccan self-representation from gendered, spatial and national perspectives. It, therefore, seeks to answer the following questions: How does Abdelmajid Benjelloun's autobiographical novel In Childhood represent Moroccan identity and culture? Is its portrayal of Moroccaness supportive or critical of the Orientalist lenses that Morocco has been …