The Rhizomatic Arab American Identity in Laila Halaby’s West of the Jordan

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of Arab American identity in Laila Halaby’s novel West of the Jordan in relation to postcolonialism. The purpose of this paper is to trace Arab American identity development West of the Jordan and to negotiate how the Arab American identity manifested itself in the diaspora to create a rhizomatic identity whose multiplicity denies singularity. The process of identity negotiation for bicultural individuals is psychologically challenging. Arab Americans in particular deal with this process in an environment where they are continuously viewed as “The Other.” Using the concepts of Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, and Stuart Hall in relation to the postcolonial theory, as well as Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s concepts of the rhizomatic identity, the study analyzes how Arab American identities are represented in the work of Halaby.