Between 'porte-parole' and 'porte-mémoire': Assia Djebar's cinematic voice in the Maghreb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article studies the roles of women as guardians of cultural heritage and national identity, which they preserve and transmit to the younger generations. While their role as 'porte-mémoire' has been recognized as key to preserving national identity, their story as warriors is sacrificed. This study argues that this sacrifice was made in order to uphold male honour as the guardians and defenders of the nation, and to hide the story of rape in colonial prisons, which signifies a direct assault on male honour. Assia Djebar's novels and films position her as the woman who can now write about those who could not, as the 'porte-parole' who worked to eternalize the story that orality failed to transmit. The analysis of La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua (1978) shows how Djebar creates a space for voices to be heard, as she defeats the eternal silence which threatens the existence of her women compatriots. © 2012 Intellect Ltd.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-77
Number of pages24
JournalInternational Journal of Francophone Studies
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Keywords

  • Empowerment
  • Memory
  • Orality
  • Porte-mémoire
  • Porte-parole
  • Storytelling
  • Voice
  • Women's narratives

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Between 'porte-parole' and 'porte-mémoire': Assia Djebar's cinematic voice in the Maghreb'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this