HONOUR, IDENTITY, AND ALIENATION IN FADIA FAQIR’S MY NAME IS SALMA (2007)

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 4, 1059 - 1077

Berivan Saltık

https://doi.org/10.47525/ulasbid.1575859

Öz

This article analyses the relationship between communal identity and honour killings in Fadia Faqir's My Name is Salma through Edward Said's humanist critique. The novel's protagonist, Salma, experiences a deep conflict between individual freedoms and a sense of social belonging. Salma's migration to the United Kingdom symbolises her escape from social norms that foresee her death and her rejection of those norms. However, her exclusion in the new individualistic society and the lack of a sense of belonging lead to her inability to adapt to life in the UK. Salma’s sense of identity is deeply tied to her past and the society in which she grew up, and therefore the individualistic freedoms offered by society cannot resolve her issues. This study revisits My Name is Salma in the context of immigration, interpreting honour killings through the lens of individual and communal identity conflict. For Salma, the individualistic society is not something to be desired, as it leads to a fragmented sense of identity. What she truly desires is to regain her communal identity and feel whole again. The article presents a new perspective on the destructive effects of honour culture and the complex intersection of individual and communal identities. Moreover, it demonstrates that the need to belong to a community can lead individuals to maintain their ties to that community despite violent social norms, such as killing or being killed for honour.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Communal Identity, Honour Killings, Immigrant Experience, Individual Identity, Social Belonging

Destekleyen Kurum

I would like to acknowledge that this doctoral research was funded by the Ministry of National Education in Turkey, and I extend my gratitude to them for their support.

Teşekkür

This article is based on a chapter from my doctoral thesis, "Exploring honour killings through literature: an investigation of motivations for honour killings," which was completed at Lancaster University in 2016 under the supervision of Dr. Lindsey Moore. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Moore for her invaluable guidance and support throughout this research.

FADIA FAQIR’İN MY NAME IS SALMA (2007) ROMANINDA NAMUS, KIMLIK VE YABANCILAŞMA

Öz

Bu makale, Fadia Faqir’in My Name is Salma (Benim Adım Salma) adlı eserindeki toplumsal kimlik ve namus cinayetleri arasındaki ilişkiyi, Edward Said’in hümanist eleştirisi üzerinden analiz etmektedir. Romanın başkahramanı Salma, bireysel özgürlüklerle toplumsal aidiyet duygusu arasında derin bir çatışma yaşamaktadır. Salma’nın Birleşik Krallık’a göçü, onun öldürülmesini öngören toplumsal normlardan kaçışını ve bu normları reddedişini simgeler. Ancak yeni bireyci toplumda dışlanması ve aidiyet duygusundan yoksun kalması, İngiltere'deki yaşamına uyum sağlayamamasına neden olur. Salma’nın kimlik algısı, geçmişi ve büyüdüğü toplumla derinden bağlantılıdır; bu nedenle, bireyci toplumun sunduğu özgürlük anlayışı onun sorunlarını çözemez. Bu çalışma, My Name is Salma romanını göçmenlik bağlamında yeniden ele alarak namus cinayetlerini bireysel ve toplumsal kimlik çatışması üzerinden yorumlamaktadır. Salma için bireyci toplum, parçalanmış bir kimlik algısına yol açtığı için arzulanan bir şey değildir. Onun asıl isteği, toplumsal kimliğini yeniden kazanarak kendini bütün hissetmektir. Makale, namus kültürünün yıkıcı etkilerini ve bireysel ile toplumsal kimliklerin karmaşık kesişimini yeni bir bakış açısıyla sunmaktadır. Ayrıca, bu makale bir topluma ait olma ihtiyacının, bireylerin namus uğruna öldürmek ya da ölmek gibi şiddet içeren toplumsal kurallara rağmen o toplumla bağlarını koparamamalarına neden olabileceğini de göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Toplumsal Kimlik, Namus Cinayetleri, Göçmen Deneyimi, Bireysel Kimlik, Sosyal Aidiyet.

Destekleyen Kurum

Bu doktora çalışmasının Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından finanse edildiğini belirterek, sağladıkları destek için kendilerine de teşek

Teşekkür

İngilizce doktora tezim olan, "Edebiyat Yoluyla Namus Cinayetlerini Keşfetmek: Namus Cinayetlerinin Güdülerinin İncelenmesi" başlıklı tezim, 2016 yılında Lancaster Üniversitesi'nde Dr. Lindsey Moore'un danışmanlığında tamamlanmıştır. Dr. Moore'a bu araştırma sürecindeki değerli rehberliği ve desteği için en içten teşekkürlerimi sunarım.

Kaynakça

• Abu-Lughod, L. (1999). Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society. University of California Press.
• Al Maleh, L. (2009). Anglophone Arab Literature: An Overview. In L. Al Maleh (Ed.), Arab Voices in Diaspora: Critical Perspectives on Anglophone Arab Literature (pp. 1–65). Rodopi.
• Arai, M., & Thoursie, P. S. (2009). Renouncing Personal Names: An Empirical Examination of Surname Change and Earnings. Journal of Labor Economics, 27(1), 127–147. https://doi.org/10.1086/593964
• Bhabha, H. (1994). The Location of Culture. Routledge.
• Bourdieu, P. (2003). Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge University Press.
• Bower, R. (2012). Interview with Fadia Faqir, 23 March 2010. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 48(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449855.2011.569380
• Bursell, M. (2012). Name change and destigmatization among Middle Eastern immigrants in Sweden. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 35(3), 471–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2011.589522
• Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
• Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge.
• Canadian Council of Muslim Women. (2012). CCMW Position Papers: CCMW Position on Femicide. Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.ccmw.com/documents/PositionPapers/ccmw_position_femicide_not_honour_killing.pdf
• Caruth, C. (1995). Trauma and Experience: Introduction. In C. Caruth (Ed.), Trauma: Explorations in Memory. The John Hopkins University Press.
• Chambers, C. (2011). British Muslim Fictions: Interviews with Contemporary Writers. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Cooley, C. H. (2017). Human Nature and the Social Order. Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203789513
• Craps, S. (2013). Postcolonial Witnessing : Trauma Out of Bounds. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Fanon, F. (1965). A Dying Colonialism. Grove Press.
• Fanon, F. (1986). Black Skin, White Masks. Pluto Press.
• Faqir, F. (2007a). My Name Is Salma. London: Doubleday.
• Faqir, F. (2007b, October 22). As soon as the fresh air touched my hair I began to cry. Guardian. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com
• Freud, S. (2000). Mourning and Melancholia. In J. Strachey (Ed.), J. Strachey, A. Freud, A. Strachey, & A. Tyson (Trans.), The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XIV (1914-1916): On the History of the Psycho-Analytic Movement, Papers on Metapsychology and Other Works (pp. 243–244). Vintage.
• Fromm, E., & Funk, R. (2010). Beyond Freud. American Mental Health Foundation Books.
• Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor Books.
• Goffman, Erving. (1963). Stigma. Penguin.
• Goux, J.-J. (1989). Lacan Iconoclast. In A. Leupin (Ed.), Lacan & the Human Sciences (pp. 109–123). University of Nebraska Press.
• Hanks, P., & Hardcastle, K. (2013). An A-Z of Baby Names. Oxford University Press, USA.
• Horsley, G. H. R. (1987). Name Change as an Indication of Religious Conversion in Antiquity. Numen, 34 (1), 1-17.
• Human Rights Watch. (2021, April 5). Item 12 - Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: Violence Against Women and “Honor” Crimes. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://www.hrw.org orsley, G. (1987). Name Change as an Indication of Religious Conversion in Antiquity. Numen, 34(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852787x00119
• Jafri, A. H. (2008). Honour Killing: Dilemma, Ritual, Understanding. Oxford University Press, USA.
• Kandiyoti, D. (1987). Emancipated but Unliberated? Reflections on the Turkish Case. Feminist Studies, 13(2), 317–338. https://doi.org/10.2307/3177804
• Marx, K. (2000). Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. Karl Marx: Estranged Labour. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/labour.htm
• Mead, G. H. (1913). The Social Self. The Journal of Philosophy Psychology and Scientific Methods, 10(14), 374–380. https://doi.org/10.2307/2012910
• Moore, L. (2011). “You arrive at a truth, not the truth”: An Interview with Fadia Faqir. Postcolonial Text, 6(2), 1–13. Retrieved from https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/66358
• Moore, L. (2013). Space, Embodiment, Identity and Resistance in the Novels of Fadia Faqir. In N. Gana (Ed.), Edinburgh Companion to the Arab Novel in English: The Politics of Anglo Arab and Arab American Literature and Culture (pp. 246–269). Edinburgh University Press.
• Name. (2013). In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved September 10, 2013, from http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/124918?rskey=UVJWG9&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid
• Neshwiwat, F. K. (2004). Honor Crimes in Jordan: Their Treatment under Islamic and Jordanian Criminal Laws. Penn State International Law Review, 23(2), 251–281.
• Payton, J. (2011). Collective Crimes, Collective Victims: A Case Study of the Murder of Banaz Mahmod. In Mohammad Mazher Idriss & T. Abbas (Eds.), Honour, Violence, Women and Islam (pp. 67–80). Routledge.
• Perez, A.-B. (2011). Shame and (Self) Punishment: Trauma and Diasporic Identity in Fadia Faqir’s My Name is Salma. In E. O. Ako & S. A. Agbor (Eds.), Migration, Culture and Transnational Identities: Critical Essays (pp. 55–79). L’Harmattan.
• Plant, V. (2005). Honor Killings and the Asylum Gender Gap. Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy, 15(1), 109–129. Retrieved from https://ir.law.fsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1171&context=jtlp
• Reddy, R. (2014). Domestic Violence or Cultural Tradition? Approaches to ‘Honour Killing’ as Species and Subspecies in English Legal Practice. In A. K. Gill, C. Strange, & K. Roberts (Eds.), 'Honour’ Killing and Violence Theory, Policy and Practice (pp. 27–46). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Said, E. W. (1991). Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage Books.
• Said, E. W. (2001). Reflections On Exile: And Other Literary And Cultural Essays. Granta Books.
• Said, E. W. (2003). Humanism and democratic criticism. (A. Bilgrami, Ed.). New York: Colombia University Press. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.42-1980
• Saltik, B. (2016). Exploring honour killings through literature: an investigation of motivations for honour killings. [Doctoral Thesis, Lancaster University]. Lancaster University.
• Santesso, E. M. (2013). Disorientation: Muslim Identity in Contemporary Anglophone Literature. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Seeman, M. V. (1980). Name and Identity. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 25(2), 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674378002500206
• Spivak, G. C. (1988). Can the Subaltern Speak? In C. Nelson & L. Grossberg (Eds.), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture (pp. 271–313). University of Illinois Press.
• Tripathi, A., & Yadav, S. (2004). For the Sake of Honour: But Whose Honour? “Honour Crimes” Against Women. Asia Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, 5(2), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.1163/157181504774852050
• Van, C. E. (2003). Purified by Blood : Honour Killings amongst Turks in the Netherlands. Amsterdam University Press.
• Wilson, W. P. (2009). Psychiatric Treatments Involving Religion: Psychotherapy from a Christian Perspective. In P. Huguelet & H. G. Koenig (Eds.), Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry (pp. 283–301). Cambridge University Press.