ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter aims to map out major areas of intersection and overlap between imaginative and discursive representations of identity in the Egyptian novel. The mapping will identify and examine in some depth instructive instances of the overarching identity discourse against the fluid backdrop of contemporary Egyptian culture, politics, and history. Subsequent chapters will take up and interrogate further the trajectories of the novel and the nation as these interface and intertwine across multiple sites of identity formation.
