The Department of Arabic Language discusses a doctoral dissertation on postcolonialism in the narrative discourse of Rabee Jaber
A doctoral dissertation by researcher Mahmoud Ramadan Ibrahim Al-Samarrai, a lecturer in the Department of Arabic Language, was discussed at the College of Education for Humanities – University of Samarra. The dissertation was entitled: “Postcolonialism in the Narrative Discourse of Rabee Jaber.”
The dissertation was grounded in a contemporary critical perspective, aiming to approach Arabic narrative discourse through the application of postcolonial theory. This approach offers analytical tools capable of interrogating representations of power, exposing patterns of domination, and re-examining concepts of identity and the “Other” within the context of profound transformations in the Arab world. It draws on intellectual foundations significantly shaped by the thinker Edward Said.
The study achieved a number of objectives, revealing that the presence of postcolonial theory in Rabee Jaber’s narrative discourse constitutes a guiding intellectual framework that contributes to producing texts capable of encompassing the complexities and contradictions of Arab reality. It highlights the fragmentation of identity and representations of the “Other” in its various forms—Ottoman, Western, religious, and political—within contexts where power intersects with history and memory, thereby expanding semantic horizons and deepening textual layers.
The findings also demonstrated the role of concepts such as diaspora, minorities, center and periphery in shaping the narrative vision, and in embodying the depth of social and cultural conflict, along with the human suffering involved in confronting renewed systems of domination. Additionally, the study emphasized the presence of the body as a carrier of ideological meanings that reveal the imbalanced relationship between East and West, and as an indicator of how power operates in its most subtle manifestations. This grants the narrative discourse a deconstructive and interpretive dimension, enhancing its value within contemporary literary studies.
On this occasion, the Media and Government Communication Division at the College of Education for Humanities extends its congratulations to the researcher on obtaining his PhD, wishing him continued success and further scholarly contributions in the service of the Arabic language and its literature.
