Diaspora and the Reimagining of the Ummah in Leila Aboulela’s The Translator.

Sunday, 5th July, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (UK time).

Once you have completed your registration. The Zoom link will be sent to you one day prior to the event.

Brief Outline:

  1. Introduction: Overview of Leila Aboulela’s The Translator (1999), the protagonist Sammar’s journey from Sudan to Aberdeen (Scotland), and the central thesis on diaspora, identity reconstruction, and the reimagining of the Ummah.
  2. Diaspora and Identity in The Translator: Analysis of Sammar’s displacement, cultural alienation, grief, and loss of status, and her evolving identity through Stuart Hall’s concept of cultural identity as a dynamic “production.”
  3. Reimagining the Ummah as an Imagined Community: Drawing on Benedict Anderson’s framework, how the novel presents the Ummah as a fluid, inclusive, faith-based transnational community that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries.
  4. Faith as a Tool for Resilience and Unity: Examination of Sammar’s spiritual awakening, return to Islamic practices, her relationship with Rae, and how faith fosters agency, solidarity, and resistance against diasporic challenges and cultural clashes.
  5. Literature and the Shaping of Collective Consciousness: The role of Muslim literature in redefining community, challenging stereotypes, and inspiring global unity grounded in Islamic principles, with translation serving as a metaphor for cultural and spiritual bridging.
  6. Conclusion: The novel’s contribution to narratives of spiritual renewal, resilience, and the enduring power of faith in a fragmented, globalized world.

The talk will follow the follwoing format : a presentation from from Dr Khawla and followed by Q&A, In this talk. Dr. Bendjemil explores themes of diaspora, identity, and the reimagining of the Ummah in Leila Aboulela’s The Translator.

About Dr Khawla

Dr. Khawla Bendjemil is an Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of 8 May 1945 in Guelma, Algeria. She holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Algiers 2 and an MA in English Literature from the University of Jordan. Her research interests lie at the intersection of postcolonial studies, ecocriticism, and contemporary Muslim women’s writing.Dr. Bendjemil has published extensively on the works of Leila Aboulela, Assia Djebar, and other postcolonial and diasporic writers. She has also presented her research at numerous international conferences across the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Brazil, Qatar, and Algeria.A former Fulbright Teaching Assistant at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (USA), she has also served as a visiting researcher at Canterbury Christ Church University (UK) and the University of Milan-Bicocca (Italy). Her recent pedagogical contributions include a video lecture series on Contemporary World Literature.