Exploring anti-narratives of war and de-otherness in Brian Turner's “2000 Ibs” and “Alhazen of Basra”

Abstract

The narrative surrounding the United States' decision to declare war on Iraq is a complex and multifaceted issue. The Bush administration did, indeed, make claims asserting a close connection between the Iraqi regime and global terrorism, aiming to shift the focus of the "war on terrorism" toward Iraq. This administration presented inaccurate information and narratives that ultimately led to the occupation of Iraq. Furthermore, the Western view of Iraqis as "the other" played a significant role in justifying the war. Brian Turner, influenced by these war narratives, participated in this controversial conflict. His engagement exposed him to the brutal realities of war and the flaws in its narratives. Consequently, he addressed these issues in his poetry, focusing on the anti-narratives of war and the deothering of Iraqis, as well as the deothering of some American soldiers in the eyes of Iraqis. This aspect has not been thoroughly explored in light of Said's Orientalism and Fanon's concept of "the Other." The article delves into these anti-narratives of war and the deothering processes evident in Turner's poetry, specifically examining "2000 Ibs" and "Alhazen of Basra." The study concludes that Turner's anti-narratives of war, presented in these poems, unveil the fallacies of USA war narratives. Moreover, it highlights Turner's efforts to challenge the deothering of some American soldiers stereotyped as invaders in the eyes of Iraqis and his attempts to deother Iraqis, countering portrayals of them as savages and primitives in the eyes of the American people.