ABSTRACT
Raja Alem, Laila al-Juhani and Nora al-Ghamdi play crucial roles in challenging male-dominated historical accounts and emphasize the importance of women’s perspectives in shaping our understanding of the past. Through their exploration of themes like androgyny, pregnancy out of wedlock and severe tribal laws, these writers offer critical insights into the complexities of women’s experiences. For example, Raja Alem’s Khatem uses the metaphor of ‘androgyny’ to mock and resist patriarchal social order that favours the male. By blurring gender distinctions, Alem challenges the rigid gender roles imposed by society. Laila al-Juhani’s Al-Ferdūs al-Yabāb (Barren Paradise) not only complicates the issue of pregnancy out of wedlock – a highly stigmatized subject in Arabia – but also humanizes the protagonist and elicits empathy, breaking down the barriers of judgement and misunderstanding. She delves into the social, emotional and moral complexities faced by women in such situations, offering a compassionate and nuanced portrayal. Nora al-Ghamdi’s Wejhat al-Bouṣlah (Compass Direction) reconstructs historical narratives by focusing on the lives of black women who have been marginalized or forgotten in traditional histories; shedding light on the untold stories of these women, giving them a central place in the historical discourse. Al-Ghamdi stages a hideous stillbirth as a powerful metaphor and critique of the severe tribal customs that govern women’s lives.
