The Woman wasn’t Hayat, She must be Nedjma :(de)constructing Kateb Yacine’s Nedjma from a (post)colonial Stereotype to a Site of difference in Ahlam Mosteghanemi’s Fiction

Abstract

Abstract: The portrayal of women as stereotypical figures has been a recurring theme in Algerian postcolonial literature, with women being often portrayed as one-dimensional symbols of the nation. This paper examines how Ahlam Mosteghanemi’s novels The Bridges of Constantine (2014) and The Dust of Promises (2016) challenge and deconstruct the stereotypical representation of women in Kateb Yacine’s Nedjma. The paper begins by exploring the context in which the three novels were written, highlighting the deeply entrenched patriarchal structures that permeate Algerian society. The paper then analyzes how Yacine’s Nedjma reinforces these patriarchal structures by portraying women as symbols of the nation, devoid of agency or individuality. It will then move to show how The Bridges of Constantine and The Dust of Promises offer a more nuanced and complex representation of Algerian women through the protagonist Ahlam, who is rather portrayed as a multifaceted character that defies the stereotypical expectations placed upon women in Algerian society. The paper concludes by arguing that deconstructing the stereotypical representation of women in Nedjma in both novels creates a site of difference for women in Algerian postcolonial literature. Keywords : Nedjma, Postcolonialism, Feminism, Nationalism, Deconstruction.