The Depiction of Arab Women in Fadia Faqir’s My Name Is Salma and Diana Abu Jaber’s Crescent

Abstract

The study aims to compare and contrast how diasporic Arab writers, Fadia Faqir and Diana Abu-Jaber, both present Arab women in their respective novels, My Name is Salma and Crescent. This study was conducted using the theories of post colonialism. Hence, the researcher relies on Edward Said’s views on Orientalism in analyzing both novels. The study concludes with how both Faqir and Abu Jaber represent Arab women characters in different ways in their works, My Name is Salma and Crescent, respectively. Abu Jaber tries to negate the stereotypical images known in the West about Arab women through representing independent, confident, educated Arab women characters in Crescent, this depiction contrasts with Fadia Faqir’s representation of Arab women in her novel My Name is Salma in which she reflects the stereotypical images of the oppressed, submissive, and dependent Arab woman.