Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Life Writing
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
31174
Abstract
In the face of war and political crisis, fleeing a country seems to be the best choice to get on with life. Among many refugee memoirs, so far young adult refugee texts have received little attention. This article analyses two young Syrian girls’ memoirs by Nujeen Mustafa and Yusra Mardini to investigate their experience of displacement. I argue that both Nujeen and Butterfly are prime specimens of young displacement memoir phenomena which act as a venue for identity negotiation. This point has much to do with their navigating the tensions between personal and collective selves to disclose their trauma and demonstrate re-appropriation after being exposed to discrimination and stigma. This article also highlights the premise that as accomplished representatives, the Syrian girls’ memoirs may affirm or influence readers’ perspectives toward the authors and their embodied cultural values.
DOI
10.1080/14484528.2019.1658505
Included in
Creative Writing Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in LIFE WRITING on 23/08/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14484528.2019.1658505
Adji, A. N. (2021). Youth matters: Shedding light on displacement in Syrian girls' memoirs. Life Writing, 18(2), 225-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/14484528.2019.1658505