Re-creating identity in exile: Hybridity and gender in the works of Assia Djebar, Leila Sebbar, and Malika Mokeddem

The relationship existing between the state of exile and the establishment of identity based on gender and hybridity was investigated. Three contemporary Algerian female writers in exile, Assia Djebar, Leila Sebbar, and Malika Mokeddem, were studied to determine if the state of exile enhanced the writing process and, as a result, produced a genre of literature with distinct characteristics from that of other writers who do not find themselves in the state of exile. Throughout this research, many factors were evaluated and taken into consideration. Historical events occurring in Algeria during French colonization, the role of women, both during the period of French colonization as well as during the postcolonial period, and the influence of Islam in modern Algeria are issues pertaining directly to this dissertation.; Even though the result of this research is based on a matter of opinion, my findings conclude that the state of exile does have a correlation with the literary imagination by freeing a writer of cultural constraints normally endured in one's homeland. Further research on similar writers with similar circumstances and characteristics is necessary to solidify this conclusion.