Call for Papers: Edited Volume on “Writing under Duress in Anglophone Arab Literature in the Diaspora: The Articulation of a Coerced Imagination”

Editors: Dr. Hamida Riahi, Prof. Mounir Triki, and Dr. Saud Enazi
Publisher: This volume is being prepared for submission to Palgrave Macmillan for consideration.

Overview

This project serves as a call for scholarly articles addressing the theme of writing under duress in Anglophone Arab literature. The proposed volume aims to explore how Anglophone Arab writers, across various genres of literature, address the challenges of articulating their experiences and ideas when subjected to atmospheres of uncertainty, fear, or repression. Specifically, the collection seeks to examine how political, social, and cultural constraints shape literary production, particularly for writers living in diasporic contexts or under surveillance, such as the post-9/11 climate and beyond.

Anglophone Arab writers often grapple with dual pressures: the expectations of a readership influenced by Orientalist frameworks and the fear of alienation or accusations of cultural betrayal within their own communities. This tension generates a form of coerced imagination, where external and internalized constraints inhibit their capacity to freely address personal or politically sensitive topics. Similarly, the legacy of trauma, war, colonialism, or genocide profoundly impacts creative expression, leading to narratives steeped in emotional and psychological resistance.

The coercion of imagination under duress manifests in distinctive narrative and stylistic forms, such as unreliable narration, fragmented or impaired language, defensive storytelling, and emotionally charged literature. Far from being purely symptomatic of suppression, these literary strategies can also function as acts of resistance, challenging the systems that seek to silence or marginalize their voices.

This volume invites contributions employing interdisciplinary methodologies to investigate the interplay between coercion and creativity. By examining how duress informs literary forms and themes, the collection aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the ways writers negotiate the limitations imposed upon their imagination while simultaneously resisting the forces that seek to constrain them.

We welcome contributions from scholars, researchers, and practitioners engaged with literature, cultural studies, postcolonial theory, diaspora studies, trauma studies, and related fields.

Suggested Topics

We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Defining Writing Under Duress:
  Theoretical explorations of coerced imagination and its manifestations in Anglophone Arab literature across genres.
• Surveillance and Censorship in Literature:
  The influence of post-9/11 surveillance cultures, systemic pressures, and self-censorship on narrative forms and themes.
• Trauma, War, and Historical Memory:
  How collective and individual trauma from war, genocide, and displacement shapes storytelling and literary imagination.
• Narrative Strategies of Resistance:
  The use of unreliable narrators, fragmented storytelling, and linguistic impairment as tools for resisting coercion and dominant narratives.
• Gendered Duress and Cultural Betrayal:
  How gender intersects with the pressures faced by diasporic writers, particularly women, who fear accusations of cultural betrayal or disloyalty while addressing sensitive topics.
• Living in Hostile Contexts:
  The challenges writers face when constrained by fears of deportation, alienation, or being labeled unpatriotic, especially when addressing politically charged issues like the Palestinian cause.
• Emotional Literature as Resistance:
  The role of emotional intensity in articulating pain, resilience, and survival, and how it fosters healing and solidarity.
• Orientalism and Readership Expectations:
  The impact of Orientalist frameworks and Western readership demands on Anglophone Arab writers’ themes and styles.
• The Intersection of Identity and Creativity:
  How writers negotiate the dual pressures of community expectations and personal truths within constrained or hostile environments.
• Innovative Literary Forms Born from Duress:
  The emergence of unique narrative forms, such as defensive storytelling or emotionally charged literature, as responses to repression and silencing.
• Literature as Historical Testimony:
  The role of Anglophone Arab literature in bearing witness to events of oppression, war, or exile, and its implications for historical memory and resistance.

Submission Guidelines

1. Abstract Submission:
   Please submit an abstract of  300 words, outlining the proposed chapter’s focus, methodology, and contribution to the book’s theme. Include the title of the chapter, author(s) name(s), and institutional affiliation(s). Include in addition a short bio about the author(s)
2. Full Chapter Guidelines:

• Word count: 6,000–8,000 words, including references.
• Original, unpublished work only.

• Abstract submission deadline: 31 March 2025
• Full chapter submission deadline:  July 30, 2025.

Submission Process

All submissions should be sent to hamidariahi22@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission for Writing under duress – Your Last Name.”

About the Editors

Editor (1): Hamida Riahi holds a PhD in English Literature and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Languages and Translation at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia.

Editor (2): Mounir Triki is a full professor of pragmatics, critical discourse analysis, and cultural semiotics. He has national, regional, and international visibility both in research and supervision and evaluation of doctoral research. He has been a member or chairman of various national recruitment committees in Tunisia. He is currently director of the Laboratory on Language and Automatic Treatment after initially founding the Laboratory on Approaches to Discourse.

Editor (3): Saud Enazi is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and the Head of the Department of Languages and Translation at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia.

Contact Information

For inquiries, please contact:
Editor Name(s): Hamida Riahi
Email Address: hamidariahi22@gmail.com