A Post-colonial examination of The Beauty of Your Face
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Date
2025-01-26
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UMT
Abstract
This research paper aims to perform a post-colonial reading of the novel The Beauty of
Your Face by Sahar Mustafah using Edward Said’s Orientalism as a theoretical framework.
Besides, it is intended in the study how the novel seeks to construct an understanding of
Palestinian-American identity, exposes the figure of the orientalized other and subverts
dominant mechanisms that seek to negate the voices and existence of the oppressed, thus
illustrating the very power of resistance artistry. Particularly, it will consider how Mustafah’s
text, as represented in different genres, seeks to address debates of cultural belonging, identity,
and otherness. Islam and the Middle East have been promoted by the novel in cognitive
dissonance with the overwhelming Western stereotypes. The analysis seeks to explore the
oppressed colonised identity through the perspective of Palestinian American cosmopolitan
stories, while also seeking to examine the Edward Said Oriental and the hegemonies. This
research is a qualitative, descriptive analysis of the novel. The explorations of the study are
directed towards helping us to be mindful of how minor voices survive, challenge or embrace
oppressive discourses. Through this research, future scholars may expand our knowledge of
the intricate relations of power in literature and in society as a whole and promote a more
refined and intricate approach to social justice, pedagogical practice, or critical discourse
analysis.