Minorities in the Contemporary Egyptian Novel (Edinburgh Studies in Modern Arabic Literature)

## Identifies an emerging genre within the contemporary Egyptian novel that reflects a new consciousness * Includes case studies of the novels of 8 authors: Idris cAli, Bahaɔ Ṭahir, cAlaɔ al-Aswani, Yusuf Zaydan, Muctazz Futayha, Ashraf al-Khumaysi and Miral al-Tahawi * Shows how these novels have taken on a mediatory role in formalising and articulating their historical moment * Critically examines the recent developments within the Egyptian literary and socio-cultural arenas During colonial times the Egyptian novel invoked a sovereign nation-state and basked in its perceived unity. After independence the novel began to profess disenchantment with state practices and unequal class and gender relations, but did not disrupt the nation’s imagined homogeneity. The twenty-first-century Egyptian novel, by contrast, shatters this singular view, with the rise of a new consciousness that presents Egypt as fundamentally diverse. This new consciousness responds to discourses of difference and practices of differentiation within the contexts of race, religion, class, gender, sexuality and language. It also heralds the cacophony of voices that collectively cried for social justice from Tahrir Square. Through a robust analysis of several ‘new-consciousness’ novels by award winning authors the book highlights their unconventional, yet coherent undertakings to foreground the marginal experiences of the Nubian, Amazigh, Bedouin, Coptic, Jewish, women and sexual minority populations in Egypt. 4e de couverture indique : ... Through a robust analysis of several 'new-consciousness' novels by award-winning authors, Minorities in the Contemporary Egyptian Novel highlights their unconventional, yet coherent, undertakings to foreground the marginal experiences of the Nubian, Amazigh, Bedouin, Coptic, Jewish, female and sexual-minority populations in Egypt A textbook overview of the structure, use and diversity of Modern Scots