Intersectional Insights
Gender, Race, and Identity in Elmaz Abinader’s Poetry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31973/6qqjy889Keywords:
Gender, Identity, Diaspora, Cultural Heritage, Art, Marginalization , ExileAbstract
Intersectional literary theory examines the multiple causes of discrimination, prejudice, and bias based on factors like gender, race, diaspora, and patriarchy, all of which overlap to shape an individual’s identity and life. This theory analyzes Arab-American literature to expose the marginalized experience and exclusion while attempting to assimilate into a new society. Arab-American poet, Elmaz Abinader, presents the issues and problems that Arab-Americans face, including alienation, cultural loss, identity crisis, and nostalgia. Her poetry collection In the Country of My Dreams (1999) has significantly contributed to diasporic and Arab-American literature. Abinader celebrates her cultural heritage, and her home country, and advocates for change by challenging Arab-American stereotypes and patriarchy.
This paper traces how Abinader voices the experiences of the Arabs in the diaspora through an intersectional lens, revealing the intersecting factors that influence how they are perceived, understood, and treated.
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References
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