Postcolonial Ecologies and Postcolonial Ecofeminism in the Poetry of Mohja Kahf

Postcolonial ecocriticism provides a unique opportunity to provide a new appreciation of the Arab-American poetry. By correlating between nature and culture, the field enriches our understanding of the Arab-American identity as well as it empowers its various manifestations. This paper attempts to provide a critical reading of the poetic discourse of the Arab-American poet Mohja Kahf by investigating her postcolonial ecologies as well as the intersection between ecofeminism and postcolonialism in her work to portray a distinctive Arab-American identity. Mohja Kahf is an ardent Arab-American poet and activist who has sought to provide a contesting portrayal of Arab-American and Muslim women. Kahf's poetry is distinguished by the way she re-writes history from an ecofeminist point of view to empower Arab-American and Muslim women against the western stereotypes oppressing and limiting their existence. The research investigates Kahf's thematic and aesthetic endeavor to liberate and empower Arab-Americans as a recognized minority within the American cultural mainstream.