The Representation of Resistance and Revolution in Francophone Tunisian Literature

Abstract

Deeply political, “The Representation of Resistance and Revolution in Francophone Tunisian Literature” considers the crossing of literature and History and the role of literature in contributing to the political debate in Tunisia. This dissertation investigates the colonial past of the country and the link between colonialism and the failure of postcolonial democracy. Following Fanon’s insights on Resistance, including his theory on Violence as part of the liberation process in Africa, this work explores the representation of anticolonial movements in francophone Tunisian novels. Gisèle Halimi, Ali Bécheur, and Hédi Kaddour among other authors present their own understanding of the colonial past through a rewriting of History. In doing so, they question the wrongful interpretation of Francophone Tunisian Literature, seen by many as a product of the colonial system. In the same vein, this dissertation presents a focus on cultural resistance in the works of Souad Guellouz, Colette Fellous, Tahar Bekri, and Abdelaziz Belkhodja, etc… challenging Albert Memmi’s arguments on the loss of memory of the colonized. Literary creations in the form of autobiographical writing, poetry, or fiction oppose Memmi’s theories of l’effacement and l’aliénation, proving the importance of literature in the making of culture and identity.“The Representation of Resistance and Revolution in Francophone Tunisian Literature” also analyzes resistance movements and actions initiated against totalitarian and patriarchal regimes. It examines the image of the “Paterfamilias” in the work of Tunisian authors, portraying Tunisian leaders, respectively Habib Bourguiba and Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, and representing the most critical historical events that raged in the country in response to police violence and oppression, including the outburst of the Tunisian Revolution in 2010. Moving from the “paternalistic” to the “patriarchal”, feminist writing is at the center of this project, as it gives a voice to the insurgent perspective of authors who seek emancipation through writing. Drawing on the works of feminist thinkers Hélé Béji and Emna Belhadj Yahia, the dissertation investigates the novels of Wafa Ghorbel, Hella Feki, and Azza Filali, three Tunisian writers who confidently break taboos about sexuality by reviving the body in writing and condemning repressive family values. On the other hand, this study also challenges radical assumptions about Islam and presents a deeper exploration of decolonial feminism in Tunisia, rooted in intersectionality and inspired by the works of African and Middle Eastern thinkers, namely Soumaya Mestiri, Saba Mahmood, and Lila Abu Lughod.