Mimicry and Ambivalence in Yussef El-Guindi’s Back of the Throat (2006) | ||
| Journal of Languages and Translation | ||
| Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2025, Pages 39-50 PDF (325.88 K) | ||
| Document Type: مقالات بحوث مبتکرة | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jltmin.2025.452164 | ||
| Author | ||
| Doaa Haroun Abdel Naeem Haroun | ||
| Al-Minia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| This paper investigates Yussef El-Guindi’s Back of the Throat (2006) through the postcolonial lens of Homi Bhabha’s theories of “mimicry” and “ambivalence.” It highlights the setbacks and breakthroughs of many Arab Americans to be assimilated into American society after the 9/11 attacks, as experienced by Khaled, the protagonist of Back of the Throat. Exposing Khaled’s mimicry and the interrogators’ ambivalence, this paper attempts to find answers to the following questions: How is the identity of Arab Americans formulated in the US in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks? How do the theories of Bhabha explain the complex mix of mimicry and ambivalence which characterizes the relationship between Arab Americans and their counterparts? Moreover, the paper sheds light on the techniques of Back of the Throat, starting from the play’s unique title, language, Powerful visual imagery, Grotowski’s style, flashbacks, monologues, and the Kafkaesque surreal mode. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Ambivalence; Back of the Throat; Homi Bhabha; Mimicry; Yussef El-Guindi | ||
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