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<p>This article examines Tariq Ali’s novels <italic>The Stone Woman</italic> (2000) and <italic>A Sultan in Palermo</italic> (2005) to critique the question of identity discourse by drawing inspiration from various cultures rooted in a distinctively Islamic landscape and culture. Muslim identity, like any other, is separately constructed and determined by language, religion, sect, and various other roles. It examines the creation of Muslim identity and strives to comprehend the segregation they have demonstrated in the postcolonial context. This identity discourse emerged in colonial discursive practices that positioned Muslims as “Other” under colonial rule. This paper draws upon theoretical concepts of postcolonial theory to challenge the stereotypical representation of Islam often circulated in Eurocentric discourses. We do this by focusing on Tariq Ali’s ways of constructing Muslim identities through fictional representations. Through this discussion, we critique stereotypical tropes evident in Eurocentric discourses, which too often conflate professions of Muslim identity with religious fundamentalism.</p>
</abstract>

This article examines Tariq Ali’s novels The Stone Woman (2000) and A Sultan in Palermo (2005) to critique the question of identity discourse by drawing inspiration from various cultures rooted in a distinctively Islamic landscape and culture. Muslim identity, like any other, is separately constructed and determined by language, religion, sect, and various other roles. It examines the creation of Muslim identity and strives to comprehend the segregation they have demonstrated in the postcolonial context. This identity discourse emerged in colonial discursive practices that positioned Muslims as “Other” under colonial rule. This paper draws upon theoretical concepts of postcolonial theory to challenge the stereotypical representation of Islam often circulated in Eurocentric discourses. We do this by focusing on Tariq Ali’s ways of constructing Muslim identities through fictional representations. Through this discussion, we critique stereotypical tropes evident in Eurocentric discourses, which too often conflate professions of Muslim identity with religious fundamentalism.

Who Am I?: Re-envisioning the question of Muslim identity in Tariq Ali’s <italic>The Stone Woman</italic> and <italic>A Sultan in Palermo</italic>

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Ars Aeterna

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Who Am I?: Re-envisioning the question of Muslim identity in Tariq Ali’s  and 

This article examines Tariq Ali’s novels The Stone Woman (2000) and A Sultan in Palermo (2005) to critique the question of identity discourse by drawing...

Who Am I?: Re-envisioning the question of Muslim identity in Tariq Ali’s The Stone Woman and A Sultan in Palermo

Published Online: Dec 21, 2022

Page range: 37 - 51

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aa-2022-0010

© 2022 Zakir Hussain et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.