Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer

Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer (2013) constitutes an account of post-war Iraq narrated by an Iraqi youth and authored by an Iraqi émigré. It is thus a valuable alternative to American fiction on the conflict and its aftermath. From this premise, this article explores how the myth of the trauma her...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Yebra, José M., Revilla Carrasco, Alfonso
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Zaragoza
Repositorio:Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragoza
OAI Identifier:oai:zaguan.unizar.es:117637
Acesso em linha:http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/117637
Access Level:acceso abierto
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spelling Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse WasherYebra, José M.Revilla Carrasco, AlfonsoSinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer (2013) constitutes an account of post-war Iraq narrated by an Iraqi youth and authored by an Iraqi émigré. It is thus a valuable alternative to American fiction on the conflict and its aftermath. From this premise, this article explores how the myth of the trauma hero, which has whitewashed the American invasion in redemptive terms, is here replaced by a more nuanced discourse. Mbembe’s necropolitics—i.e. the “subjugation of life to the power of death” (2003: 39)—helps explain the story of Jawad, the corpse washer of the title, and of Iraq as one of dehumanization, wounding and spatialization inflicted by Western supremacy and alleged ‘rationality.’ The novel challenges Western necropolitics in two main ways: Iraqi stereotypes are questioned, especially their identification with terrorism and martyrdom. On the other hand, surrealism and gothic elements help the protagonist and his country to sublimate the trauma derived from American neocolonial politics.2022info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://zaguan.unizar.es/record/117637reponame:Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragozainstname:Universidad de ZaragozaInglésinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/H03-20Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/FFI2017-84258-Pinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:zaguan.unizar.es:1176372026-05-29T13:59:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
title Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
spellingShingle Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
Yebra, José M.
title_short Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
title_full Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
title_fullStr Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
title_full_unstemmed Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
title_sort Necropolitics in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Yebra, José M.
Revilla Carrasco, Alfonso
author Yebra, José M.
author_facet Yebra, José M.
Revilla Carrasco, Alfonso
author_role author
author2 Revilla Carrasco, Alfonso
author2_role author
description Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer (2013) constitutes an account of post-war Iraq narrated by an Iraqi youth and authored by an Iraqi émigré. It is thus a valuable alternative to American fiction on the conflict and its aftermath. From this premise, this article explores how the myth of the trauma hero, which has whitewashed the American invasion in redemptive terms, is here replaced by a more nuanced discourse. Mbembe’s necropolitics—i.e. the “subjugation of life to the power of death” (2003: 39)—helps explain the story of Jawad, the corpse washer of the title, and of Iraq as one of dehumanization, wounding and spatialization inflicted by Western supremacy and alleged ‘rationality.’ The novel challenges Western necropolitics in two main ways: Iraqi stereotypes are questioned, especially their identification with terrorism and martyrdom. On the other hand, surrealism and gothic elements help the protagonist and his country to sublimate the trauma derived from American neocolonial politics.
publishDate 2022
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url http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/117637
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