The Eternal Relics of Orientalism: Neo-Orientalism in Laila Halaby's Once in a Promised Land (2007)

Abstract

The Western Orientalism unquestionably prospered after the translation of the Arabian Nights oriental tales. Hence, as Edward Said’s postcolonial trajectory, through which he tackled the Orientalism misrepresentation of the Arabs and Islam. In addition, the American global modernisation celebrated a mediated Orientalism through the global media depending on the Arab intellectuals’ writings in diaspora. Therefore, the contemporary Arab American Literature has tackled in realistic metafictional narratives as like Laila Halaby’s Once in A promised Land in which the Arab American experience in the post 9/11 proclaimed a double challenge either to restore the Arab identity or to assimilate. This current research aims to unfold the ironies of the Halaby’ novel, to assay what contradict neo-Orientalism trajectory and what relate to it. So forth, the narrative analysis exposes the new protean Orientalist representation of the Self-Orientalising and American fanaticism towards Arabs and Islam. Keywords: Classic Orientalism, Postcolonialism, Post 9/11 attacks, Neo-Orientalism, Arab American Diaspora, Laila Halaby.