Constructing Arab Western Identities Through Metamorphosis in Leila Aboulela’s Bird Summons

Abstract

The current study explores the way Leila Aboulela uses metamorphosis in her novel Bird Summons (2019). The study also shows how Aboulela’s three main characters construct their identities as Arab living in the West through metamorphosis, where they reach to what Homi Bhabha calls “The Third Space”. That is, they are transformed into different shapes and creatures due to the problems they are exposed to in the West as Arabs. The remain as such until they reach a stage where they overcome their issues and adopt their new identities as Arab Westerners. The novel is approached through postcolonial views, and especially Edward Said’s views on Orientalism and how the West sees the Orient. It is also explored through Homi Bhabha’s views on “the Third Space”. There are few studies that are conducted on the current novel. Most of the studies conducted are done on the quest of the three characters and not on how they transformed through metamorphosis.