Date of Graduation

5-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Advisor/Mentor

Kahf, Mohja

Committee Member

Padilla, Yajaira M.

Second Committee Member

Hinrichsen, Lisa A.

Keywords

Arabic Literature; Arab Immigrant; Arab Refugees; Citizenship; Gender; Sexuality

Abstract

This study provides a comparative analysis of various representations of sexuality in seven transnational Arab cultural productions: Salim Haddad's Guapa (2016), Rabih Alameddine's The Angel of History (2016), Ahmed Dany Ramadan's The Clothesline Swing (2017), Hasan Namir's God in Pink (2015), Fadia Abboud's I Luv U But (2016), Alissar Gazal's Lesbanese (2008), and Ayse Toprak's Mr. Gay Syria (2017). These productions demonstrate a range of experiences of discrimination and trauma experienced by queer Arab immigrants and refugees in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, as their national identities continue to be regarded as obstacles preventing them from fully integrating into the dominant liberal queer community. I argue that LGBTQ Arabs have developed different ways of achieving a sense of belonging in disaporic communities. They have also managed to bring their sexuality to the forefront of their lived experiences while tackling the many social challenges facing Arabs and especially Muslim Arabs today.

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