Between the Hammer and the Anvil: Complex Status of Women in Contemporary Arab American Women’s Fiction

This essay looks at the troubled representations and complex status of women in Arab American fiction produced by women authors, namely Mohja Kahf's The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf (2006) and Laila Halaby's West of the Jordan (2003). I argue that Arab fiction in the US diaspora is not only about questioning the clash between the two cultures -Arab and Americanin post-9/11, but also about shedding the light on women's issues and concerns in both the diaspora and homeland. This particular ethnic fiction discusses sensitive topics in the Arab context such as traditional patriarchies, women's rights in Islam, and domestic violence. The analysis of the novels, and the arguments that stem from it, are supported by a socio-cultural constructivist approach based on perspectives of prominent critics and scholars such as Fadia Faqir, Henri Tajfel, and Carol Fadda-Conrey, to name just a few.