Suspensions

Abdelkebir Khatibi (1938-2009) was among the most renowned North African literary critics and authors of the past century whose unique treatments of subjects as vast as orientalism, otherness, coloniality, aesthetics, linguistics, sexuality, and the nature of contemporary critique have inspired major figures in postcolonial theory, deconstruction, and beyond. At once a philosophical visionary and provocative writer, Khatibi's impressive contributions have been well-established throughout French and continental literary circles for several decades.

As such, this English translation of one of his masterworks, Maghreb Pluriel (1983), marks a pivotal turn in the opportunity to wrest some of Khatibi's most profound meditations to the forefront of a more global audience. Including such highly significant pieces as "Other-Thought," "Double Critique," "Bilingualism and Literature," and "Disoriented Orientalism," the ambition behind this volume is to showcase the true experimental complexity and conceptual depth of Khatibi's thinking. Engaging the cultural-intellectual urgencies of a colonial frontier (in this case, the so-called Middle East/North Africa) this book expands our contemplative boundaries to render a globally-dynamic commentary that traverses the East-West divide.

About the Author

Abdelkebir Khatibi (1938-2009) is considered one of the most prominent writers of postcolonial Francophone literature from North Africa. During his lifetime he won literary and intellectual prizes in Morocco and France. After earning his PhD in sociology at the Sorbonne, he returned to live and work in Morocco. He is the author of Class Warrior (2017), Tatooed Memory (2016), Love in Two Languages (1990) and The Splendour of Islamic Calligraphy (2008). His writings challenge the social and political norms upon which the countries of the Maghreb region were constructed.