Trials of Arab Modernity by El-Ariss Tarek;

Author:El-Ariss, Tarek; [Tarek El-Ariss]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SUBJECT
ISBN: 3239794
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Published: 2013-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five: Majnun Strikes Back

What is madness?

It appears to be a mysterious condition, much like life and death. You can learn a lot about it if you look at it from the outside, as for its interior—its core—it’s a reprehensible secret. (my translation)

—Naguib Mahfouz, Whisper of Madness (1938)

I use “queer” to refer to a range of dissident and non-heteronormative practices and desires that may very well be incommensurate with the identity categories of “gay” and “lesbian.”

—Gayatri Gopinath, Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures (2005)

Lesbian is such an ugly word to me. It makes me cringe—especially the French version that is more often used in Lebanon “Lesbienne” (with an elongated “ieeeen”). Ugh. Even worse was the word “dyke.” But it’s still all good compared to “sou7aqiyyeh.” That one really makes me want to vomit. . . . I find it intriguing how people form certain images to go with words, how they give absolute meanings to words. When they say the word “lesbian,” it represents a single image in their heads. They have no idea what different and diverse people the word “lesbian” can represent.

—Anonymous, Bareed Mista3jil: True Stories (2009)

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