Postcolonial Counterpoint is a critical study of Orientalism and the state of Francophone and postcolonial studies, examined through the lens of the historical and cross-cultural relations between France and North Africa. Thoroughly questioning the inability of Western academia to shake free of universalism and essentialism and come to grips with the Orientalism within postcolonial discourse, Farid Laroussi offers a cultural tour d'horizon which considers Andre Gide's writing on Algeria, literature by French authors of Maghrebi descent, and the conversation surrounding secularism and the headscarf in France. A provocative investigation of the place of Muslims and Islam in Francophone culture, Postcolonial Counterpoint asks how we must proceed if postcolonial studies is to make a difference in reconciling history, identity, citizenship, and Islam in the West.

"Lively and opinionated, Farid Laroussi's long-awaited study of the entanglements between France and the Maghreb does not disappoint. Both respectful and revisionist in his dialogue with the legacy of Edward Said, Laroussi diagnoses a condition of 'latent Orientalism' that gradually morphs into 'internal Orientalism.' His view is authoritative, and the book is bracing to read." -- Christopher L. Miller, Frederick Clifford Ford Professor of French and African American Studies, Yale University

About the Author
Farid Laroussi is an associate professor in the Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies at the University of British Columbia.

Reviews

'This is a bold yet erudite study of the postcolonial and the latent and internal Orientalism... It should be obligatory reading for all those who have, perhaps too often viewed the postcolonial as a means of looking outside the metropole.'

-- Joseph Ford * Modern Language Review vol 113:01:2018 *

"This study engages critically with the original arguments in [Edward Said's] Orientalism, bringing new insights to Said's text, while applying its implications to Franco-Maghrebi relations from the beginnings of colonization."

-- Charles Forsdick, University of Liverpool * University of Toronto Quarterly, vol 87 3, Summer 2018 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781442648913
Author Farid Laroussi
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 161mm * 20mm