Deconstructing the Masculinity of the Rib Discourse in Nizār Qabbānī’s Poem “Taktubīn al-Syi’r.. wa Uwaqqi’ Anā..”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29407/x0xy1n20Abstract
The discourse on the objectification of women persists to this day, one instance of which is the perpetuation of the theological-masculine discourse of the rib—the narrative that Eve was created from Adam’s rib. As a counter-discourse aimed at liberating women, this research examines the deconstructive meanings in “Taktubīn al-Syi’r.. wa Auqa’ Anā..” a poem written by Nizār Qabbānī through the lens of Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction theory. This theory rejects binary oppositions and suspends meaning due to the ever-shifting contexts and perspectives within a text; consequently, the meaning of a text is never stable, and the hierarchy of the regime of meaning is destabilized by the text itself. Accordingly, this research argues that the discourse of the rib is a patriarchal myth: a woman was not created from a man’s rib, but rather, it is men who emerge from a woman’s womb. This reversal of the binary opposition stems from the instability of meaning within both the male subject and female object positions. This instability occurs because meaning is constantly deferred due to the presence of a strong historical trace of ancient matriarchy. Ultimately, dismantling this centralized meaning is essential to achieving egalitarian gender relations
Keywords:
binary opposition, masculinity of the rib discourse, deconstruction, trace, egalitarianismDownloads
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