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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
3-1-2018
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
This project examines the creation of Egyptian culture under Nasser in the 1950s by comparing That Smell of It by Sonallah Ibrahim and Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz. Despite marked similarities between the two novels, only Ibrahim's novel faced censorship. The authorities and leading literary critics decried Ibrahim's novel as vulgar and immoral due to its reference to masturbation and sexual acts. However, Mahfouz's novel also contained sexual material. The two novels also had similarities with regards to content as they included discussions of degradation of emotional connections, lack of sexual fulfillment and overall disillusionment with the regime. The main difference is in the writing style and outlooks of the two novels. Mahfouz's novel and its reception confirms the notion Nasser censored literature in order to manipulate the public image of Egypt. The regime chose to censor Ibrahim's work because it did not project a Western-palatable view of Egypt and threatened Nasser's ability to assert his country as a world power. This project argues that the Nasser regime worked with prominent literary critics in order to create a Western-palatable idea of independent Egypt, enabling the regime to project the new country as a major world power. To support the argument, this project utilizes widely available secondary and primary sources which were either all published by main stream presses or in the public domain. These sources include novels, posters, and parliamentary minutes as well as peer-reviewed journals and books.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/bznx-m912
Mentor
Jeremy Caddel
Recommended Citation
Narayan, Rashi, "Censorship and the Creation of Egyptian Culture in 1952 Independent Egypt" (2018). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 199.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/bznx-m912
Comments
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