Limitations of Postcolonial Theory and the Exclusion of Arabic Literature

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between postcolonial studies and Arabic literature, arguing that despite the foundational role of Arabic literary and cultural production in colonial discourse analysis, postcolonial studies has largely ignored it in favor of English and French literatures from former colonial powers. This exclusion of Arabic literature is criticized for reinforcing neocolonial hegemony and prioritizing the canons of major colonial powers while excluding texts written in the languages of the colonies.

The paper also examines the intellectual traditions from which postcolonial theory has arisen, including Marxism, psychoanalysis, poststructuralism, and feminism. The paper argues that the exclusion of Arabic literature from postcolonial studies is a missed opportunity to expand the field's conceptual and methodological frameworks, and those postcolonial studies and Arabic studies can mutually benefit from a more inclusive approach.

The paper suggests that by situating the tradition of modern Arabic literature within the colonial context and examining the conceptual limitations of postcolonial theory, postcolonial studies and Arabic studies can mutually expand each other. Scholars can challenge neocolonial cultural dependency and Eurocentric knowledge production by incorporating Arabic literature into postcolonial debates.

The paper concludes by highlighting the need for postcolonial studies to move beyond the canon of major colonial powers and to include texts written in the languages of the colonies, as well as oral literatures of Africa, Native Americans, and Australia's Aborigines, in order to produce a more comprehensive understanding of the colonial experience and its ongoing legacies. This paper argues for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to postcolonial studies that incorporates Arabic literature and other non-Western literatures and oral traditions. Doing so will expand the field's conceptual and methodological frameworks and produce a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of global power relations.