| ID | 156628 |
| Title Proper | Withstanding the winds of change? literary representations of the gulf war and its impacts on Saudi society |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Salhi, Zahia Smail |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article argues that the 1991 Gulf War had a deep transformative effect on
Saudi Arabia. It aims to analyze the extent to which this war brought about major ideological
changes to a society seemingly deemed unchangeable. Through the study of three
Saudi novels which drew on this war as a source of creative and political inspiration, this
study brings to life Saudi people’s discussions, dilemmas, and reactions to the crumbling
of the edifice of Arab unity and the emergence of “America” in its place as the “savior”
from the evil of Saddam Hussein. We contend that despite resistance from various conservative
elements of Saudi society, the winds of change brought by this war could not be
resisted. The novels under study skillfully portray the events of this war not as battlefield
accounts, but as accounts of a society wrestling with an irresistible wind of change. |
| `In' analytical Note | Arab Studies Quarterly Vol. 39, No.4; Fall 2017: p.973-995
|
| Journal Source | Arab Studies Quarterly Vol: 39 No 4 |
| Key Words | Gulf War ; Saudi Arabia ; Change ; War Literature ; Riyadh ; Social Transformations |