“You know that I’m different from them”: Performing national identity in Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud’s The Corsair

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article argues that Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud’s novel The Corsair (2011) reimagines Qatar’s collective memory of its past to differentiate the emirate from other Gulf states. It sees the novel as a national allegory with the words and actions of its protagonist, Erhama Bin Jaber, representing the identity that Qatar seeks to promote. The Corsair challenges traditional interpretations of the Arabic novel as a national allegory by highlighting its unorthodox representation of the relationship between east and west. Contrary to typical portraits of British–Arab relations found in colonial history, The Corsair asserts a fraternity between Qatari Arab and British actors that underscores once more the intrinsic difference of the state from other Gulf nations. The article concludes by arguing that The Corsair is a literary manifestation of what Marwa Maziad identifies as a deliberate process within Qatar to extend the national history and allow a deeper sense of belonging.