Tunisian Women's Writing in French by Sonia Alba

Author:Sonia Alba [Alba, Sonia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789760392
Google: WSneygEACAAJ
Publisher: Sussex Academic Press
Published: 2019-01-15T04:14:48+00:00

The contribution to a subaltern counterpublic in Tunisia by Béji and Bessis

Growing up within a liberal family, Béji is aware of her privileged status especially when compared to that of her fellow countrywomen:

Mais, si je ne craignais pas de châtiment sexuel qui menacerait ma liberté, si l’esprit conservateur m’irritait sans me blesser personnellement, si aucun enfermement conjugal avec un gnome velu n’était pour moi concevable, sans doute n’en était-il pas ainsi pour tout le monde. Les craintes dont j’étais délivrée ne me dispensaient nullement de la pitié envers celles qui ne partageaient pas un sort aussi favorable. Le danger qui nous épargne personnellement n’est pas hélas affaibli par notre seul salut. Et s’il n’en continue pas moins de sévir autour de nous, nous ne pouvons l’accepter pour les autres avec un cœur froid et sec. (33)

Aware that fellow countrywomen did not benefit from growing up in a similarly liberal familial environment, one which did not endanger her freedom nor force her into an unwanted marriage, Béji claims that she is incapable of fully enjoying her own freedom. Here the author describes marriage in strongly negative terms; expressions such as “enfermement conjugal” and “chatiment sexuel” recall life in prison where confinement is imposed on a (presumably) guilty individual, in this case women, as a form of punishment. The author feels pity for her women compatriots who do not share the privileges from which she benefits. The term ‘pity’ used by Béji is laden with meaning and different interpretations. According to David Punter, the usage of the term pity and its attendant adjectives: pitiful, pitiable and piteous, is “fraught with difficulty” (1). When used in relation to third parties, such as the homeless, the ill, the disadvantaged and when leading to altruistic actions such as giving to charity or engaging in voluntary work, expressions comprising the term pity are generally accepted. On the other hand, however, when the term pity is used in direct expressions such as “I pity you”, the person voicing such a feeling may be accused of “condescension, of being patronising, of extending rather than ameliorating a position of privilege” (Punter 1). If, to some, Béji’s attitude may appear condescending, the use of the term “partager” in addition to the expression of pity, suggest the author’s feeling of empathy with fellow Tunisian women rather than condescension.

Béji’s tone in the above quotation recalls notions of sisterhood understood as a unifying force. As Bonnie Dill claims, however, not all women readily identify themselves as sisters and Béji’s upper-class affiliation might hinder, despite her feelings of pity and of sharing, the development of solidarity between her and her fellow – less wealthy – compatriots (131). Yet, Béji continues to express her solidarity with Tunisian people, not only with women but also with men:

Quelquefois, l’avantage dont le hasard de la naissance ou la tolérance de nos parents nous a fait dépositaires nous donne aussi cette exigence qui nous rend la servitude d’autrui plus crainte encore. La lucidité que nous procure la liberté, comme

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