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79230-01 - Research seminar: Modern Arabic Prison Literature (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Wolfgang Trimmel (wolfgang.trimmel@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Modern Arabic prison literature emerged as a distinctive genre in the 1950s and 1960s and documents themes such as political repression, torture and resistance against authoritarian regimes. Its texts frequently blur the boundary between prison and society, representing the whole country as a restrictive and oppressive space. This seminar will trace the historical development of Arabic prison literature and focus on a comparative analysis of key texts: Sonallah Ibrahim’s That Smell (Egypt, 1966), Salwa Bakr’s The Golden Chariot (Egypt, 1991), Mustafa Khalifa's The Shell (Syria, 2008) and Youssef Fadel’s A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me (Morocco, 2013). Each of these texts highlights moments of severe repression in different parts of the Arab world while addressing specific contexts and individual subjectivities. |
| Learning objectives | In the course of this seminar, students will: - get to know a selection of influential examples of Arabic prison literature - familiarise themselves with the development of the genre as well as its central topics - enhance their skills of literary analysis and discussion - practice translation from Arabic into German/English and actively use Arabic to discuss literary texts. |
| Bibliography | Elimelekh, Geula. 2014. Arabic Prison Literature: Resistance, Torture, Alienation, and Freedom. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. Farag, Joseph. 2023. “Prison Sentences: Spaces of Liberation in Arab Prison Writing”, CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 25:1. Kelly, Michelle. 2021. Prison Writing and the Literary World: Imprisonment, Institutionality and Questions of Literary Practice. Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature 128. Routledge. Taleghani, R. Shareah. 2021. Readings in Syrian Prison Literature: The Poetics of Human Rights. Syracuse University Press. |
| Comments | The seminar will be held in English and Arabic. Should all participants be fluent in German, English may be replaced by German. |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is intended for all MA students who have completed the following courses: Arabic I-III as well as ALK I and ALK II. MA students who did not complete the BA programme in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Basel but have sufficient knowledge of Arabic and wish to participate in the seminar are kindly asked to contact the instructor before registering. |
| Course application | Registration via Online Services. |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 16.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 23.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 30.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 07.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 14.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 21.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 28.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 04.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 11.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 18.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 25.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 02.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 09.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Wednesday 16.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Raum 104 |
| Modules |
Module: Advanced Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Module: Topics in Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation in class and regular attendance (participants may miss two sessions) are basic requirements. In addition, participants will be expected to read about 50 pages of primary and/or secondary literature per week in German or English and translate a short Arabic extract (about one page) into German or English. They will also have to keep a reading diary with weekly entries and give a short presentation. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Nahost-Studien |