https://publications-prairial.fr/representations/index.php?id=1826 Index terms fr 0 https://publications-prairial.fr/representations/index.php?id=1824 This paper aims at tackling the dilemma of representation in the novel Arabian Jazz (1993) by Jordanian American writer Diana Abu-Jaber. This is mainly done through emphasizing the role the text plays in breaking a decades-long tradition in which Arab American writers were pre‑occupied with presenting a carefully-crafted identity that was to be the mouthpiece of the entire community and that was, in many cases, more cosmetic than realistic and representative of how Arabs wish to be seen rather than what they really are. The paper highlights how the author uses the text, released after the Gulf War and the September 11 attacks, to examine the complexity of Arab identity, which does not technically belong to a particular ethnicity—hence does not easily fit into any of the common Western categorizations—, and of Arab American identity, which undergoes a process of constant transformation and negotiation. Through analyzing the intricate relations between Arab and Arab American characters in the novel and their interaction with both the Arab and American worlds, the paper will also look into the extent to which the novelist managed to question, defy, and reconstruct stereotypes, whether those formed about the self or the other, in order to position the text within the Arab American tradition and determine its role in providing a truthful portrayal of the Arab community in the United States. The paper underlines the way Abu‑Jaber breathes life into the members a community that had for years been treated as types required to represent rather than humans seeking a voice. sam., 20 déc. 2025 18:02:21 +0100 ven., 23 janv. 2026 17:49:59 +0100 https://publications-prairial.fr/representations/index.php?id=1824