Self and other in umaymah al-khamis’ salma al umaniyyah

Abstract

This paper explores patterns and perspectives to the construction of Self and Other in Saudi women’s fiction through a close reading of one the works of one of the earliest female writers to emerge in the Kingdom. A study of how this female writer arrived at the construction of the Saudi ‘Self’ in contradistinction to the other raises pertinent questions on notions of identities across cultures and civilizations. The paper examines series of ‘external Others’, established by the author; Umaymah Al-Khamis, whose own literary exposition and journeys enabled her to depict the question of national identity from a new standpoint. It also gives a picture of ‘internal Other’ of women who, for whatever reason, have perceived themselves as occupiers of the peripheries of the society. It draws its theoretical framework from Edward Said and Michel Foucault. In Salma Al-Umaniyyah, Umaymah Al-Khamis exemplifies the slippery texture of the Self and Other as well as its implications for socio-cultural harmony in human societies. The paper consequently contemplates the following questions: Why is it that the existing studies on Saudi Arabian literature, dominated by male writers interested in entrenching male dominance, have ignored the expression of ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in the literary tradition of the Kingdom? What extent is a ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ factor in the production and consumption of fiction in Saudi Arabia? Why is it that, the author or Salma Ai-Umaniyyah is interested in ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in her creativity?