The Literature of the Lebanese Diaspora: Representations of Place and Transnational Identity

by Jumana Bayeh

Overview

The Lebanese civil war, which spanned the years of 1975 to 1990,caused the migration of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens, many of whom are still writing of their experiences. Jumana Bayeh presents an important and major study of the literature of the Lebanese diaspora. Focusing on novels and writings produced in the aftermath of Lebanon's protracted civil war, Bayeh explores the complex relationships between place, displacement and belonging, and illuminates the ways in which these writings have shaped a global Lebanese identity. Combining history with sociology, Bayeh examines how the literature borne out of this expatriate community reflects a Lebanese diasporic imaginary that is sensitive to the entangled associations of place and identity. Paving the way for new approaches to understanding diasporic literature and identity, this book will be vital for researchers of migration studies and Middle Eastern literature, as well as those interested in the cultures, history and politics of the Middle East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788315340
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/07/2019
Series:	Written Culture and Identity
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jumana Bayeh is an Early Career Fellow in the Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University, Australia. She was most recently a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and has held fellowships at the University of Copenhagen and the Lebanese American University in Beirut.

Table of Contents

Part I: War and the City

1. The Urban Space: Beirut at War 30

2. The Destruction of West Beirut in Tony Hanania's Unreal City 41

3. Undermining the Christian City in Rawi Hage's De Niro's Game 66

Part II: Home, Mobility, Immobility

4. Domicile and Diaspora: Women Write the Home 93

5. Stasis and Domesticity in Nada Awar Jarrar's Somewhere, Home 103
6. Home and Movement in Alia Yunis' The Night Counter 132


Part III: Contesting the Nation-State

7. Nation, State and Diaspora 161

8. One Land or Two? Israel and Palestine in Amin Maalouf's Ports of Call 173


Conclusion: Place and Diaspora Literature 196


Notes 203


Bibliography 225