Introduction: “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
“Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh first appeared in 2019 in the book Magical Realism and Literature: Critical Readings, published by Cambridge University Press and edited by Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. This chapter delves into the interaction between magical realism and Arab diaspora literature, exploring how the magical realist mode redefines notions of home and place under the condition of displacement. Focusing on Arab diaspora novels like Rabih Alameddine’s The Hakawati and Alia Yunis’ The Night Counter, Bayeh argues that magical realism serves as a crucial framework to represent and mediate the alienation, nostalgia, and fractured identities inherent in diasporic experiences. By reimagining spaces like the domestic home and the urban cityscape through a blend of magic and reality, these texts challenge fixed notions of belonging and emphasize the transformative potential of mobility and narrative multiplicity. This chapter is significant in literary theory as it extends the discourse on magical realism beyond its Latin American origins, situating it as a global phenomenon central to understanding the aesthetics and politics of diaspora literature.
Summary of “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
Magical Realism as a Literary Tool in Diaspora Literature
- Magical realism bridges the gap between the magical and the real to narrate the complexities of diaspora experiences, including displacement, alienation, and the disruption of historical realities (Lago, 2013; Quayson, 2013).
- The tension between magic and realism reflects challenges in representing extreme historical situations like war, migration, and dispossession in a “realist” framework (Bowers, 2005; Boehmer, 2005).
Arab Diaspora Fiction’s Long History with Magical Realism
- Arab migrant fiction, influenced by texts like The Arabian Nights, integrates magical realism to capture themes of home, exile, and the uncanny.
- The genre draws from a tradition of storytelling, offering a space to question and reimagine constructs like home and place (Jarrar, 2008).
Diaspora Writers’ Unique Perspective on Place
- Diaspora literature emphasizes “place” (e.g., home, city) as a complex, dynamic concept mediated by displacement (Blunt, 2005; Quayson, 2009).
- Magical realism becomes a medium to explore disrupted, alienating, and uncanny environments, particularly for characters in diasporic contexts.
Analysis of The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine
- Narrative Complexity: Interweaves family stories, historical myths, and fantastical elements to depict Beirut’s fragmented identity during and after the Lebanese Civil War.
- Magical Elements: Subtle yet impactful, blending with the real to destabilize perceptions of reality, such as through character “doubling” (e.g., the two Fatimas) and narrative mirroring (Faris, 1995).
- Diasporic Perspective: Osama al-Kharrat, the protagonist, embodies a dislocated observer, critiquing Beirut’s selective reconstruction and war amnesia (Hout, 2012; Bayeh, 2015).
Analysis of The Night Counter by Alia Yunis
- Scheherazade Reimagined: Inverts the storytelling role—Scheherazade listens to Fatima Abdullah’s stories, exploring her migration from Lebanon to America.
- Magic and Realism in Conflict: Fatima’s nostalgic fixation on her ancestral home contrasts with Scheherazade’s emphasis on Fatima’s real-life experiences in America.
- Resolution of Tension: Fatima confronts the destruction of her Lebanese home, finds symbolic closure with her fig tree bearing fruit, and redefines “home” in a non-territorial, rooted-yet-mobile manner (Hage, 2011).
Magical Realism’s Role in Challenging Normative Ideas of Home
- Both novels redefine “home” as fluid, multilayered, and transgressive of boundaries—challenging static, essentialized notions tied to roots and heritage.
- Magical realism offers a framework for engaging with the uncanny and alienating effects of migration while uncovering suppressed histories and memories (Sasser, 2014).
Conclusion
- Arab diaspora fiction’s embrace of magical realism enriches its narratives of mobility and alienation, offering a distinct lens for reinterpreting spaces like the city or home.
- By engaging with the uncanny and magical, the genre disrupts static notions of identity and place, reflecting the dynamic realities of diasporic life.
References
- Lago, E. (2013). “Interview with Junot Díaz.”
- Quayson, A. (2013). “Postcolonialism and the Diasporic Imaginary.”
- Faris, W. B. (1995). “Scheherazade’s Children: Magical Realism and Postmodern Fiction.”
- Hage, G. (2011). With the Fig, the Olive and the Pomegranate Trees.
- Alameddine, R. (2008). The Hakawati.
- Yunis, A. (2009). The Night Counter.
- Bayeh, J. (2015). The Literature of the Lebanese Diaspora: Representations of Place and Transnational Identity.
Theoretical Terms/Concepts in “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
| Theoretical Term/Concept | Definition/Explanation | Context in Bayeh’s Analysis |
| Magical Realism | A literary mode blending magical elements with realism to address and reimagine historical and cultural narratives. | Used to represent the surreal effects of displacement and alienation in Arab diaspora fiction, such as in The Hakawati and The Night Counter. |
| Diaspora | The dispersal of people from their homeland, often accompanied by themes of alienation, mobility, and loss. | Explored through Arab migrant narratives, focusing on their negotiation of home, identity, and cultural displacement. |
| Unhomeliness | A Freudian concept describing estrangement from the familiar, often linked to displacement and diaspora. | Highlights the uncanny experience of home and place in diaspora, such as Osama’s alienation in postwar Beirut. |
| Roots vs. Routes | A dichotomy in diaspora theory: “roots” signify fixed origins, while “routes” emphasize movement and fluid identities. | Fatima’s transformation in The Night Counter moves from a fixation on roots to embracing routes, redefining home in diaspora contexts. |
| Representation Gap | The space between an object/event and its representation, emphasizing interpretation and subjectivity in narratives. | The Hakawati uses storytelling to challenge the “truth” of historical accounts, focusing on the instability of representation. |
| Uncanny | The unsettling experience of the familiar becoming strange, often linked to Freud’s concept of “unhomeliness.” | Magical realism conveys the uncanny, as seen in Osama’s return to a changed Beirut in The Hakawati. |
| Postcolonialism | A critical framework examining the legacy of colonialism in literature, culture, and identity. | Intersected with diaspora to critique colonial histories and their impact on migrant identities and spaces. |
| Critical Consciousness | A diasporic or de-territorialized awareness that critiques fixed representations of identity, place, and memory. | Diaspora writers like Alameddine and Yunis use critical distance to address selective memory and war amnesia in Lebanese and Arab contexts. |
| Scales of Place | Layers of spatial significance, from domestic to national to transnational. | The Night Counter and The Hakawati explore these scales, blending domestic dwellings, cities, and cultural geographies. |
| Nostalgia and Fantasy | A longing for an idealized past, often creating a mythical or distorted representation of home. | Fatima’s fixation on Deir Zeitoon in The Night Counter critiques how nostalgia can hinder engagement with the present. |
| Plot Mirroring | A technique in magical realism where parallel stories reflect and enhance one another. | Seen in The Hakawati, where narrative threads (e.g., Fatima’s mythological story and Osama’s reality) mirror and enrich each other. |
| War Amnesia | A cultural tendency to suppress or ignore collective memories of violence and war. | Alameddine critiques Beirut’s selective reconstruction and war amnesia, offering a counter-narrative through Osama’s diasporic perspective. |
Contribution of “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh to Literary Theory/Theories
Magical Realism
- Expansion of Magical Realism’s Scope: Bayeh situates magical realism within diaspora literature, arguing that it is a critical mode for representing displacement, alienation, and surreal experiences of diaspora life (Bayeh, p. 283).
- References: The use of magical realism in Rabih Alameddine’s The Hakawati and Alia Yunis’s The Night Counter exemplifies how magical elements destabilize the boundary between the real and imagined to depict dislocation.
- Reimagining Place: The analysis underscores magical realism’s ability to question and redefine spatial constructs (Bayeh, p. 285).
- References: Bayeh links the uncanny depictions of Beirut in The Hakawati and domestic spaces in The Night Counter to the magical realist mode.
Diaspora Theory
- Critique of “Roots” and Embrace of “Routes”: Challenges essentialist views of diaspora as solely rooted in longing for a homeland, advocating instead for fluid, dynamic understandings of identity and belonging (Bayeh, p. 297).
- References: Fatima’s transition in The Night Counter from nostalgia for Deir Zeitoon to accepting her rootedness in America illustrates this shift.
- Intersection with Postcolonial Studies: Bayeh bridges diaspora theory and postcolonialism by showing how diaspora narratives critique colonial legacies and redefine “home” as a layered, contested space (Bayeh, p. 287).
- References: Fatima’s fixation on her ancestral home and Osama’s alienation in postwar Beirut explore postcolonial displacement.
Urban Studies and Literary Spaces
- Cities as Sites of Diasporic Engagement: Moves beyond traditional postcolonial focus on the nation-state to examine the city as a critical site of diasporic negotiation (Bayeh, p. 286).
- References: The Hakawati uses Beirut as a contested space reflecting war amnesia and selective memory, while The Night Counter critiques domestic spaces in the U.S.
- Recasting Place in Diaspora Literature: Highlights the centrality of place – domestic, urban, and transnational – in diasporic fiction as a reflection of mobility and displacement (Bayeh, p. 289).
- References: The intertwined scales of place in The Hakawati and The Night Counter suggest overlapping experiences of home and alienation.
- Extension of Postcolonial Concerns: Introduces the lens of diaspora to postcolonialism, complicating its emphasis on nationalism by focusing on more localized and fragmented spaces like cities and homes (Bayeh, p. 286).
- References: Contrasts magical realism’s focus on empire and nation with its use in diaspora fiction to explore alienation and displacement.
- Critique of War Amnesia: Bayeh uses Alameddine’s depiction of Beirut’s reconstruction to critique the erasure of violent histories in postcolonial societies (Bayeh, p. 293).
- References: Osama’s diasporic perspective in The Hakawati exposes the selective memory of Lebanon’s civil war.
Narrative Theory
- Inversion of Scheherazade’s Role: Bayeh identifies a narrative shift in Yunis’s The Night Counter, where Scheherazade becomes the listener instead of the storyteller, disrupting traditional narrative hierarchies (Bayeh, p. 295).
- References: The reversed roles highlight the constructed nature of diasporic narratives and emphasize the multiplicity of storytelling.
- Plot Mirroring in Diaspora Narratives: Explores how magical realist techniques like “plot mirroring” create interwoven stories that reflect diasporic complexities (Bayeh, p. 290).
- References: The overlapping narrative threads in The Hakawati mirror and critique the constructedness of historical and personal truths.
Trauma and Memory Studies
- Magical Realism as a Mode of Remembering: Highlights how magical realism enables the articulation of repressed or erased histories (Bayeh, p. 285).
- References: The use of myths and legends in The Hakawati serves as a counter-narrative to Beirut’s selective reconstruction of its past.
- Uncanny and Alienation in Diaspora: Links Freud’s concept of the uncanny to the estrangement of diasporic subjects from their familiar spaces (Bayeh, p. 287).
- References: Osama’s and Fatima’s alienation reflect the unhomeliness of displacement and fractured memory.
Examples of Critiques Through “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
| Literary Work | Themes Explored | Critiques Through Jumana Bayeh’s Framework | Theoretical Contribution |
| The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine | Intergenerational narratives, magical realism, and urban transformation in Beirut | Explores how magical realism bridges narratives of displacement and historical trauma; critiques Beirut’s selective post-war reconstruction and societal amnesia. | Highlights the role of magical realism in destabilizing dominant narratives and reconstructing urban memory in diaspora literature. |
| The Night Counter by Alia Yunis | Family diaspora, nostalgia for homeland, and reinterpretation of Scheherazade’s storytelling | Critiques fixed nostalgia for ancestral homes, offering an alternative vision of home as dynamic and relational. Questions idealized concepts of homeland in diaspora studies. | Reinforces the tension between magical and real worlds, showing the evolution of diasporic identity through shifting perspectives on “home.” |
| Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih | Postcolonial identity, migration, and the confrontation of East and West | Examines how cultural displacement complicates notions of belonging. Magical realism is less explicit but highlights postcolonial struggles with identity and power dynamics. | Connects postcolonialism and diaspora literature by illustrating cultural hybridity and tension between origins and displacement. |
| Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber | Culinary traditions, Arab-American identity, and urban diaspora | Critiques the romanticized notions of cultural heritage and homeland by portraying complex urban diaspora experiences in the U.S. | Demonstrates how personal and cultural identity are renegotiated through food, storytelling, and urban space, expanding the boundaries of diaspora literature. |
Criticism Against “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
- Overemphasis on Magical Realism:
- Critics argue that the chapter overemphasizes magical realism as a tool for exploring displacement, potentially neglecting other equally significant narrative strategies in Arab diaspora literature.
- Limited Scope of Literary Examples:
- The analysis primarily focuses on The Hakawati and The Night Counter, which some critics feel may limit the applicability of the framework to a broader range of Arab diaspora works.
- Neglect of Alternative Diaspora Narratives:
- The study’s focus on urban and domestic spaces might marginalize other diaspora experiences, such as rural or non-urban displacement narratives, which are significant in the Arab literary tradition.
- Essentialization of Diaspora Experiences:
- Some scholars critique the chapter for generalizing Arab diaspora experiences and emphasizing commonalities while downplaying the diverse, localized realities of diasporic identities.
- Underexplored Theoretical Contexts:
- While the chapter engages with magical realism and diaspora theory, it is criticized for not sufficiently engaging with other related frameworks, such as transnational feminism or eco-diasporic criticism, which could provide a more nuanced understanding.
- Assumption of Homogeneity in Arab Diaspora Writing:
- The work may unintentionally imply a uniformity in Arab diaspora fiction, overlooking differences in socio-political contexts, linguistic diversity, and generational perspectives.
- Urban Bias:
- The prioritization of urban settings like Beirut and Los Angeles could be viewed as privileging metropolitan experiences over those in less urbanized diaspora contexts.
- Underdeveloped Comparative Perspective:
- Critics suggest that the analysis would benefit from a more robust comparison with non-Arab diaspora literatures to highlight unique and shared features.
Representative Quotations from “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh with Explanation
| Quotation | Explanation |
| “Magical realism has been widely considered, whether rightly or not, the distinct property of postcolonial writing.” | Introduces the conceptual overlap between magical realism and postcolonial literature as a narrative tool to address complex histories. |
| “Diaspora writers face similar difficulties with literary realism… to convey the traumatic and surreal affects of dislocation.” | Highlights the inadequacies of literary realism in representing diasporic trauma, necessitating magical realism. |
| “Arab diaspora fiction enjoys a century-long, even if until recently understudied, history.” | Acknowledges the depth and evolving legacy of Arab diaspora literature, positioning it within global literary traditions. |
| “Place is a feature common to both forms of fiction… magical elements writers enlist to question, complicate and reconfigure our understanding of home.” | Emphasizes the thematic centrality of place and magical realism’s role in reshaping the concept of home in diaspora narratives. |
| “The magical and the real function not harmoniously then at least simultaneously.” | Refers to the coexistence and tension between the magical and real, central to magical realism. |
| “Magical realism… captures a sense of place that has been fissured, distorted, and made incredible by cultural displacement.” | Explains how magical realism becomes a tool to represent diasporic estrangement and re-imagining of place. |
| “Fatima’s house in The Night Counter is unchanging… invested with certain mystical, even magical qualities.” | Demonstrates the nostalgic and fantastical portrayal of home, critiquing static views of diaspora roots. |
| “Osama’s and Alameddine’s diasporic status… undermine the processes of forgetting that bedevils Lebanon.” | Shows how the diasporic perspective enables critical reflection on collective amnesia in postwar societies. |
| “Diaspora fiction… does not solely rely on indigenous resources but on displacement and dislocation to remember the past.” | Highlights a key difference between postcolonial and diaspora fiction in their approach to reconstructing history. |
| “Arab diaspora fiction drills down into spaces like the city or the domestic dwelling… from the unhomely or uncanny perspective.” | Identifies how Arab diaspora literature reimagines overlooked spaces, emphasizing alienation and displacement. |
Suggested Readings: “Scheherazade in the Diaspora: Home and the City in Arab Migrant Fiction” by Jumana Bayeh
- Bayeh, Jumana. “Home in Lebanese Diaspora Literature.” Diasporas of the Modern Middle East: Contextualising Community, edited by Anthony Gorman and Sossie Kasbarian, Edinburgh University Press, 2015, pp. 370–400. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt16r0jc2.15. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
- Bayeh, Jumana. “Scheherazade in the diaspora: home and the city in Arab migrant fiction.” Magical realism and literature. Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2020. 282-299.