Le prénom-rhizome : lecture analytique et onomastique de l’identité plurielle du prénom « Mehdi » dans Une année chez les Français de Fouad Laroui

Abstract

The rhizome, a concept developed by Deleuze and Guattari, is applied in this study to describe the complexity of the first name Mehdi, a young Moroccan attending a French lycée for a year. Like a subterranean plant whose stems can grow far from its parent root, Mehdi is destined to move away from his Moroccan roots and open up to new experiences and perspectives. Nurtured by two cultures, Mehdi becomes a symbol of cultural hybridity and the ability to transcend borders. A hybrid of identities, Mehdi illustrates an onomastic plasticity that reflects his personal journey between two cultural shores. This article therefore proposes a multidisciplinary reading of the onomastic component of the plural identity embodied by the first name Mehdi in Une année chez les Français by Fouad Laroui.

Keywords

• onomastics
• Fouad Laroui
• Mehdi Khatib
• rhizome-first name
• hybrid identity