The Ambivalent Depictions of Arabs in Naomi Shihab Nye’s Habibi and Diana Abu-Jaber’s Crescent

Abstract

The study aims to identify how Arab-American authors Naomi Shihab Nye and Diana Abu-Jaber depict Arabs in their novels, Habibi and Crescent. Additionally, the study attempts to compare and contrast between the two writers’ depictions of Arabs in their novels. To achieve the objectives of the study, the theory of Post-colonialism is used; more specifically, Edward Said’s views from his book Orientalism are applied to both novels. The study concludes by showing how both Nye and Abu-Jaber depict Arab characters in an ambivalent way within their works, Habibi and Crescent, respectively, in that they sometimes present Arabs in a positive light and other times in a negative light. The study also concludes with a set of concepts that include lack of identity, hybridity, and multiculturalism that have affected Arab-Americans and influenced their cultural values. These representations are also considered ambivalent.