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Cultural Dialogue and Hybrid Literary Space in Nahal Tajadod’s More Iranian
Abstract
In her recent publication, More Iranian (2023), Nahal Tajadod presents an autobiographical account that chronicles her life alongside the distinguished French novelist and screenwriter, Jean-Claude Carrière. More Iranian is divided into two sections: “Iran” and “Anīrân” (signifying “non-Iranian” or “non-Iran”). At first glance, the book’s title and this type of categorization suggest the assumption that the Iranian and French cultures are positioned in a confrontational and polarized relationship. Tajadod’s autobiography seems to be a narrative of being an Iranian, with a strong emphasis on Iranian identity; but, as the book progresses, we understand that this memoir is about cultural interaction and intercultural coexistence rather than constructing a binary opposition between the Self and the Other. The present essay seeks to demonstrate that the phrase “More Iranian” should not be narrowly interpreted in its literal sense; rather, in this context, being more Iranian implies being more transnational, and this cultural interaction constitutes a mutually cross-fertilizing dialogue. In this regard, the essay, also, aims to show how the immigrant writer in diaspora, here, creates a literary space that is hybrid and brings forth the characteristics of Homi K. Bhabha’s Third Space. To substantiate the claims made, cultural semiotics with a poststructuralist approach is employed. Subsequently, ideas derived from this semiotics are redefined and elucidated in relation to Bhabha’s views on the Third Space. Accordingly, culture is intercultural. It is in the process of translation that cultures add to each other's richness and redefine themselves while meeting another cultural being. Third Space describes a space in which we can overcome the problematic claims to cultural purity and homogeneity, and embrace the hybridized nature of cultures. It is a space full of mobility, dynamism, constant translation, transition, cross-fertilization, hybridity, transformation & change, pluralism, and creation. In Nahal Tajadod’s autobiography, the semiospheres of the Iranian and French cultures exposes their borders to each other. In this way, they deconstruct oppositional semiotic relations. Therefore, More Iranian creates a literature that through the constant crossing of the mentioned semiospheres contributes to the circulation, mobility, and dynamism of the consciousness of the textualities and intertextualities. The book does not solely belong to one language or a national and geographical domain, nor does it adhere to a singular linguistic tradition. Tajadod’s More Iranian is a transtextual narrative, much like a text awaiting translation, since its truth is constructed through continuous border crossings, dialogue, and translational interactions.
Discipline
Literature
Geographic Area
Europe
Iran
Sub Area
None