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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Wolfgang Trimmel (wolfgang.trimmel@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Migration and exile have been fundamental topics in modern Arabic literature from its very beginning. While texts from the 19th and first half of the 20th century privileged the experience of students, writers and intellectuals travelling to Europe and North America, texts from the second half of the 20th century mostly focused on experiences of flight, expulsion, political exile, and labour migration. More recently, literature representing the experiences of refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq has risen to prominence (cf. Sellman 2018). Covering both fictional and autobiographical texts by authors such as Ġassān Kanafānī (Palestine), Samar Yazbak (Syria) or Ḥassān Blāsim (Iraq), this seminar aims to explore refugee and migrant narratives in modern and contemporary Arabic literature. Using a narratological approach, the texts will be analysed in terms of structural and formal aspects, with a particular regard to how the experience of fleeing/travelling/migrating is narrated. In addition, literary representations of refugee and migrant subjectivities will be discussed, encompassing topics such as alienation, sense of exile, the construction of transnational identities etc. (cf. Censi & Paniconi 2022). |
| Learning objectives | In the course of this seminar, students will: - get to know a selection of both fictional and autobiographical accounts of flight and migration in modern and contemporary Arabic literature - become familiar with basic concepts and approaches of narratology - develop their skills of literary analysis and discussion - practice translation from Arabic into German. |
| Bibliography | Secondary Literature: Censi, Martina & Paniconi, Maria Elena (ed.). 2023. The Migrant in Arab Literature. Displacement, Self-Discovery and Nostalgia. London & New York: Routledge. Gandhi, Evyn Lê Espiritu & Nguyen, Vinh. 2023. The Routledge Handbook of Refugee Narratives. London & New York: Routledge. Sellman, Johanna. 2018. “A Global Postcolonial. Contemporary Arabic Literature of Migration to Europe.” Journal of Postcolonial Writing 54:6, 751-765. DOI: 10.1080/17449855.2018.1555207. Sellman, Johanna. 2022. Arabic Exile Literature in Europe. Defamiliarizing Forced Migration. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. |
| Comments | The seminar will be held in English unless all participants are fluent in German. This seminar can be applied to partially fulfill the requirements of two modules, either “Themen/Themes” or “Vertiefung/Focus”. Students choosing to apply the credits to “Vertiefung” are required to do additional course work using longer Arabic extracts. |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is intended for all BA and MA students who have completed the following courses: Arabic I-III as well as ALK I. Students who are not enrolled in the BA or MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies but have sufficient knowledge of Arabic and wish to participate in the seminar are kindly asked to contact the instructor before registering. |
| Course application | Belegen über Online Services. |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 17.09.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 24.09.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 01.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 08.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 15.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 22.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 29.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 05.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 12.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 19.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 26.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 03.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 10.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Tuesday 17.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Maiengasse, Seminarraum U113 |
| Modules |
Modul: Fortgeschrittene Nahoststudien (Bachelor's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Vertiefung Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Participants will be expected to read about 50 pages of primary literature per week in German or English and translate a short Arabic extract (about one page) into German or English. In addition, they will have to keep a reading diary with weekly entries and give a short presentation. Regular attendance (participants may miss two sessions) and active participation in class are required. |
| 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 |