Jordan Journal of Modern Languages & Literatures

Website Blogs and EFL Learners' Writing Performance

Sara Mansour Harahsheh, Ali Farhan AbuSeileek — Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The current study aimed to explore the effect of using blogs on EFL learners’ writing performance. The participants of the study consisted of 60 female learners in the 11th grade. The quasi-experimental approach was employed in this study. The participants of the study were arbitrarily allocated into three groups; two of them were experimental (websites blogs, and photoblogs) and a control group that was instructed utilizing the conventional approach. All participants sat to a pre-/post-test. A four-question achievement test related to writing skill was designed to measure students' writing performance. The findings of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the control group (conventional instruction), and the experimental groups (website blogs and photoblogs) in favor of the experimental groups in writing. Lastly, related recommendations directed for educators, researchers and students were presented.

An Analysis of Reference as a Grammatical Cohesive Device in the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Speech in Kuwait in 2018

Hatmal Odeh Al-Khalidy — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This research aims to investigate the personal, demonstrative, endophora, exophora and comparative references used by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The study has applied descriptive and qualitative approach based on Halliday and Hassan (1976) to the speech of the United Nations Secretary-General. The speech, delivered on 14^th February 2018 in Kuwait, was used especially for the purpose of the numerical analysis of different types of references as a sub-branch of grammatical cohesive devices. The research has studied the use of endophorics (anaphora and cataphora), personal, demonstrative, exophora, and comparatives by investigating the frequency of their occurrence. This current research finds that the demonstratives are the most frequently used by Guterres. This is followed by personal pronoun references and endophoric references respectively, while exophoics and comparatives are equally used in the speech and are the least frequent types.

Keywords: Antonio Guterres, cohesive devices, comparative reference, demonstrative reference, endophora, exophora, grammatical cohesion

Highlights:

Demonstratives are the most frequently used by Guterres (64 times).
Personal pronoun references (55 times).
Endophoric references (28 times).
Exophoic references (1 time only).
Comparative references (1 time only).

User-to-User Impoliteness in Facebook Comments Related to Football Matches: A Critical Analysis of Impoliteness Frameworks

Yousef Aljabali, Nimer Abusalim — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Previous research on impoliteness has typically relied on a single framework to analyze the phenomenon, which may lead to an incomplete understanding of the strategies used.This study sought to investigate impoliteness strategies that are used by Jordanian Facebookers when commenting on football matches. Additionally, it aimed to determine whether Lachenicht's (1980) aggravating language or Culpeper's (1996) impoliteness framework was better suited for analyzing impoliteness in Facebook comments related to football matches. The researchers analyzed 100 comments using both frameworks to identify different impoliteness strategies. The findings showed that Jordanians’ comments on football matches contained different types of impoliteness such as bald on record, positive impoliteness/aggravation, negative impoliteness/aggravation, and off-record. Additionally, negative impoliteness was the most frequently used strategy. It was found that Culpeper's framework was more effective in identifying and managing taboo language and direct insults than Lachenicht's. This study enhances our understanding of impoliteness strategies used by Jordanian Facebook users when commenting on football matches and highlights the importance of using appropriate frameworks for data analysis. Future studies may examine impoliteness strategies in different contexts and combining multiple frameworks to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Keywords: Impoliteness strategies, Jordanian Facebook users, Lachenicht's (1980) aggravating language, Culpeper's (1996) impoliteness frameworks, Taboo language

Highlights:

Dual-Framework Approach: The study uniquely applies both Lachenicht’s (1980) and Culpeper’s (1996) frameworks to analyze impoliteness strategies, providing a comparative assessment rarely seen in previous research.
Contextual Focus on Jordanian Facebook Users: It specifically investigates how Jordanian Facebook users employ impoliteness strategies in the context of commenting on football matches, offering cultural and situational insights.
Prevalence of Negative Impoliteness: Among the identified strategies, negative impoliteness emerged as the most frequently used, indicating a strong tendency toward this form of verbal aggression in sports-related discussions.
Superiority of Culpeper's Framework: Culpeper’s model proved more effective than Lachenicht’s in detecting and interpreting direct insults and taboo language, highlighting its practical value in analyzing online discourse.
Implications for Future Research: The study underscores the benefits of combining multiple analytical frameworks and suggests broader exploration of impoliteness strategies across different online and cultural contexts.

Investigating Strategies and Ideology in Translating Middle East News Headlines from English to Arabic: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Sara Mohammed Al Hindi, Nasrin Salama Altuwairesh — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Ideological manipulation in news translation has always been a topic that demands attention. There seems to be a need for a focus on using translation strategies as a tool to promote ideology, which should complement research in translation studies. This study focuses on the topic of translation strategies and ideology by investigating how news headlines of the Middle East are reported in the American news networks and how they are translated by Arab news networks. The samples consist of news headlines, where the Source Texts (ST) are English news headlines and the Target Texts (TT) are the Arabic translation by Arab news networks on their official Twitter accounts. This study is a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) where the data is analyzed based on Chesterman’s (1997) pragmatic strategies model, and the analysis is associated with the ideological square of Van Dijk (1998). The results show that using certain translation strategies has led to some changes that enabled Arab news networks with the representation of positive Us and negative Them. The study concluded that translated news is more likely to have its own set of ideological standards imposed on it by the news organization reporting the news.

Keywords: News translation, Translation strategies, Ideology, Middle East news, Social media.

Linguistic Features of Male Characters in Disney Animated Movies

Jihad M. Hamdan , Anna Altaleb, Wael J. Hamdan — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The present study investigates the linguistic features of male characters in three Disney animated movies: Tangled (2010), Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016). It adopts Coates’ (2016) framework (developed from Holmes 2013 and Herbert 1998) of men’s language (e.g. commands and directives, swearing and taboo words, interruption, questions and compliments) and Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (text, discourse practice and sociocultural practice). The findings reveal that the linguistic feature that mostly characterizes male Disney characters’ language is asking questions followed by giving orders and directives since asking questions that seek short answers and giving orders directly and indirectly indicate dominating the conversation. The third male linguistic feature is impersonal compliments followed by taboo and swearing words. Finally, interruption was the least used linguistic male feature. In all reported instances, the male characters interrupted the female characters because they felt superior.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Disney, Gender, Males’ Language.

Highlights:

Focus on Male Linguistic Features in Disney Films
The study uniquely investigates the linguistic behavior of male characters in three Disney animated movies from the 2010s (Tangled, Frozen, and Moana), addressing a research gap previously centered on female characters.
Dual Theoretical Framework
It employs Coates’ model of men’s language (commands, taboo words, questions, compliments, interruptions) alongside Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA framework (text, discourse practice, sociocultural practice) for a robust, layered analysis.
Dominance through Questions and Directives
Quantitative analysis (332 instances) shows that male characters most frequently used questions (39.5%) and commands/directives (33.1%), suggesting a pattern of conversational dominance and control.
Minimized Taboo and Interruption Use
Swearing/taboo words (6.9%) and interruptions (4.5%) were least common, likely due to the child-oriented nature of Disney films — though still used to assert power or express conflict in specific scenes.
Cultural and Gender Insights
The qualitative findings reveal that male characters often use third-person impersonal compliments and direct, response-restricting questions, reflecting traditional masculine roles and cultural norms of authority, restraint, and emotional detachment.

Move and Agree in Arabic Construct State: A Phase-based Analysis

Mamdouh Alenazy — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This paper investigates the internal structure of Arabic Construct State in light of the latest advances within the Minimalist Program. It adopts a phase-based Agree model to account for how word order and Case value are determined within the structure of the Construct State which is represented as a DP phase within which the head noun undergoes N to D movement. The derivation of the Construct State structure does not involve any unnecessary PF linearization process to ensure that the surface word order is achieved. Instead, the paper shows that the surface word order is the outcome of movement of the head noun to D, the head DP phase. Since the head noun is the head of the lexical core and locus of φ-features, it receives Case under Agree with an external probe; the Case value it receives is spread within NP and copied on the modifying attributive adjectives.

Keywords: Phase Theory, Agree Theory, Minimalism, Arabic, Construct State, DP.

Highlights:

Arabic Construct State is composed of a head noun and an associate DP
Arabic Construct State is a possessive construction that lacks an overt possessive marker.
The analysis provided adopts Phase theory to account for how word order Case values in Arabic Construct State are determined
Arabic Construct State is analyzed as a DP phase which has an inaccessible domain
The internal structure of Arabic Construct State is built by movement of the head noun to D, the head of the Construct State

The Influence of an English Mediating Translation in Translating Figures of Speech into French from the Malayalam novel, Chemmeen

Shyla Thomas , Krishnavanie Shunmugam, R K Shangeetha — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study intends to investigate whether the translation of figures of speech in an indirect translation could be influenced by the techniques adopted by the translator of the translation that serves as the mediating text (MT). The English translation of metaphors, idioms, and colloquial expressions from the Malayalam novel Chemmeen and its subsequent French translation comprise the data of this study. The objectives of this study are: (i) to identify the translation techniques that have effectively conveyed the figurative meanings to the foreign reader in the indirect translation, and (ii) to investigate to what extent the English translation which serves as the mediating translation (MT) has influenced the French indirect translation (ITr) in representing the meanings embodied in the Malayalam metaphors, idioms, and colloquial expressions. Principles of translation postulated by Baker (2011) and Newmark’s (1988) typology of translation techniques guide the data analysis and discussions in this study.

Keywords: Figures of speech; translation techniques; indirect translation; mediating text; Chemmeen.

Highlights:

Exploration of Indirect Translation via English as a Mediating Text (MT):
The study examines how the English translation of Chemmeen by Menon functioned as a mediating text and influenced the subsequent French translation by Balbir, with a particular focus on the transmission of figurative language.
Evaluation of Translation Strategies for Figures of Speech:
Through a comparative framework drawing on Baker (2011) and Newmark (1988), the paper analyzes the techniques used to translate Malayalam idioms, metaphors, and colloquial expressions into English and subsequently into French.
Identification of Semantic Shifts and Cultural Losses:
The findings highlight significant shifts in meaning and loss of nuances resulting from paraphrasing, omission, and literal translation, particularly in culturally embedded expressions.
Filling a Critical Research Gap on Chemmeen’s Translations:
This is the first academic study to examine the French version of Chemmeen, providing a valuable contribution to the understudied area of indirect literary translation from regional Indian languages.
Reaffirmation of the Translator’s Role as Cultural Mediator:
The paper underscores the importance of bi-cultural competence in translation, advocating that translators handling indirect or cross-cultural texts must balance fidelity to meaning with awareness of cultural specificity.

Lexical vs. Structural Presuppositions in the Struggle between Virtue and Vice in Selected Dramatic Passages from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: Syntactico-Pragmatic Approach

Usama Salahuddin — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This analytical-descriptive research attempts to investigate the relationship between the six types of presuppositions classified by George Yule (1996), the syntactic structure through which they are triggered, and the speaker’s intention behind triggering them in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The paper discovers which types of presuppositions are more appropriate to be conveyed by specific syntactic structures and parts of speech to fulfill some specific intentions more successfully. It also investigates how the different motives of the main characters of the novel, Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth, result in different types of presuppositions and syntactic structures to fulfill the pragmatic purposes needed. The research is applied to 216 presuppositions detected in 50 dramatic passages selected from the most controversial situations that brought the three main characters together, the wife, the paramour and the husband; such situations are required to be interweaved very carefully and to present the characters as being very cautious about the presuppositions triggered by their utterances not to reveal the secrets they hide.

Keywords: presupposition, trigger, syntactic structure, lexical level, structural level, speaker’s intention

Hightlights:

The research attempts to investigate the connection among the presuppositions triggered in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, their syntactic structure, and the speaker’s intention behind triggering them.

The research proves that factive presuppositions tend to be largely triggered to state something through declarative sentences, structural presuppositions to imply something cleverly through AvCls.

The research also proves that non-factive and counter-factual presuppositions tend to be largely triggered to trick or distract the addressee through interrogative sentences, and lexical and existential presuppositions to pitch an idea through NPs.

The research proves established some connection between the presuppositions triggered by the three characters via certain syntactic structures go in line with their perspectives of life and their purposes.
The research proves that presuppositions that serve purposes fulfilled because of human nature are proven to be employed through long structures, while those pre-planned out of a real need are done with careful selections of lexemes.

Metaphors in Promotional Discourse of Indonesian Tourism: Ecological Discourse Analysis

Arina Isti’anah, Suhandano, Daru Winarti — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

By incorporating larger datasets on tourism promotion, this paper aims to 1) identify metaphors used to promote Indonesian nature and 2) discuss the promotion frames ecologically based on the metaphors used. The data acquired from the Indonesia Travel website were uploaded and analysed using Sketch Engine and WMatrix5, with the conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) of Lakoff and Johnson (1980, 2003) applied within the ecolinguistics framework proposed by Stibbe (2015).). The analysis revealed that metaphor-related words were found in collocational and non-collocational relations in the form of adjectives, nouns, verbs, compound adjectives, and compound nouns to promote Indonesian topography, national parks, non-human species, and nature-based activities. The examined metaphors frame Indonesian nature as THE HOME OF COLOURFUL, UNUSUAL GEMS. However, the dominance of 'prosperity' and 'purity' as selling points articulates human stewardship of the ecosystem. The paradoxes of familiarity and attractiveness identified through metaphors express an eco-ambivalent discourse. Indonesia's natural wealth, conceptualised as a 'treasure', perpetuates a colonialist agency that stewards nature. Future research could look into how English metaphors are translated into Indonesian in tourism promotion discourse. The research can then determine whether the Indonesian metaphors produce a more beneficial discourse for the readers.

Keywords: Corpus, Ecolinguistics, Fame, Ideology, Promotion.

Highlights:

Metaphors are a productive linguistic device to promote Indonesian tourism, mainly when promoting topography and national parks;
Metaphors in Indonesian tourism are syntactically realized in both simple and complex structures, which can be identified through collocation and concordance analysis;
The semantic domains of metaphor vehicles are found in the COLOUR, RESIDENCE, NATURAL PRECIOUS ELEMENTS, JUDGMENT OF APPEARANCE, RELIGION, and GIVING. The domains are assisted by Wmatrix 5;
The metaphorical semantic domains generally project Indonesia as a HOME TO UNUSUAL COLORFUL gems; and
Metaphors in Indonesian tourism are employed to promote the country's purity, prosperity, and remoteness.

Las Fórmulas Rutinarias Psicosociales Relacionadas con el Acto de Comer en Jordania. Recopilación, Estudio Y Propuesta de Traducción al Español

Moayad Sharab, David Rodríguez Seoane , Mohammad Rayyan, Hussein Duweiri — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Las fórmulas rutinarias son unidades fraseológicas que destacan por sus características lingüísticas, particularidades pragmáticas y socioculturales y, por consiguiente, son un recurso muy empleado en las interacciones sociales habituales de los nativos de cualquier lengua. En este trabajo de investigación los autores pretenden presentar un estudio de uno de los fenómenos pragmáticos más complicados para ser delimitados y trasladados de una lengua a otra. Por lo tanto, el objetivo primordial de este trabajo es estudiar, analizar comparativamente y proponer una traducción inédita al castellano de las fórmulas rutinarias psicosociales relacionadas con el acto de comer en el árabe levantino, hablado extensamente en los países de Oriente Medio, y específicamente de su dialecto jordano.

Palabras clave: Fórmulas rutinarias, cultura árabe, dialecto jordano, comida, traducción.

Highlights:

The study examines routine psychosocial expressions associated with eating in Jordanian Arabic.
These expressions carry linguistic, pragmatic, and cultural significance.
The research centers on the Jordanian variety of Levantine Arabic.
A comparative analysis is conducted between these expressions and their Spanish equivalents.
The paper proposes culturally appropriate translations of these formulas into Spanish.

The Scheherazade Romance in Ahdaf Soueif’s In the Eye of the Sun, Leila Aboulela's The Translator and Fadia Faqir's My Name is Salma

Aya Akkawi, Rasha Maqableh — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Many Arab, female Anglophone writers have taken the lead to showcase new dimensions of women empowerment in their works of fiction. One of these dimensions includes a plot we coined as the Scheherazade Romance. This coined term allocates Arab, Muslim women as heroines and White, Western men as heroes when defining the romance they experience. This paper aims at providing a new conceptual framework added to the subgenres of the romance, the Scheherazade Romance. The female characters (emblems of Scheherazade) challenge the conventional identity tropes of their culture, and go through with the shape-shifting forces of their lives. This similar shift in their identities come to explain their enhanced agency, forms of resistance, and their ability to achieve trans-cultural harmony with racially and culturally 'other' man. Thus, the study examines the following literary works— Ahdaf Soueif’s In the Eye of the Sun, Leila Aboulela's The Translator and Fadia Faqir's My Name is Salma —which relate to this concept.

Keywords: The Scheherazade Romance, Female Anglophone Writers, In the Eye of the Sun, The Translator, My Name is Salma.

Ideological Manifestations in Tennessee Williams’ Selected Plays

Mohsen Hanif, Pegah Ghanbari — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), the spokesman of the marginalized, devoted part of his oeuvre to unearthing and eradicating social injustice. Taking advantage of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study draws on textual and contextual clues to address the playwright’s critique of unequal social orders. CDA exposes the intricate operations of power and ideology in maintaining hierarchically gendered social orders and institutionalized power asymmetries. The goal of CDA is to lay bare the subtle ways in which gendered assumptions and hegemonic power relations are discursively produced, maintained or negotiated. By deploying Fairclough’s three-dimensional model which explores the interconnection between social practices, discursive practices and its textual manifestation, the present paper aims to delve into implicit ideological effects of language and influence of power relations embedded in the discourse of Williams’ selected plays, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) and The Night of Iguana (1961), to expose the role of discourse in the maintenance of power.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis; Ideology; Discourse; Fairclough; Patriarchy.

The Sundarbans in Amitav Ghosh’s Fiction: A Bioregional Perspective

Abhra Paul, Amarjeet Nayak — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Bioregionalism encourages intimate knowledge born out of dwelling in place, community, and local culture. The bioregional approach regards the region as a “physical and cultural ecology of place where ecological and cultural systems interact to shape one another” (Bunting 1997, 3). Following this line of thought, this paper explores the theoretical perspective of bioregionalism, positing “place as a complex of nature and culture” (Ryan 2012, 81). The paper reads the two novels by Amitav Ghosh, The Hungry Tide (2004) and Gun Island (2019), as two representative texts to demonstrate this theoretical perspective of bioregionalism. These two narratives primarily engage the readers with the interior landscape of Sundarbans as the literature of place. Interestingly, Ghosh’s ecological orientation ranging from issues of nature, place, human settlement, local culture, species’ lives, the dominant religion, and the folk deities, are all situated within the context of Sundarbans, creating an integrated land mosaic.

Keywords: Ecocriticism, Bioregionalism, Sundarbans, Forest Deities, Land Reclamation.

Longing to Belong: The Quest for Home in Suzan Abulhawa's The Blue Between Sky and Water (2015)

Nadjet Bouzid, Salim Kerboua — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This paper examines the quest for home and belonging of Palestinians and their descendants in various spatialities and the issue of in-between-ness as it is depicted in Susan Abulhawa’s The Blue Between Sky and Water (2015). Via adopting a geocritical spatial theoretical framework, this article sheds light on how Arab-Americans, namely Palestinian immigrants, realize their identity in diaspora and manage to establish their unique homes despite the senses of non-belonging and homelessness. The paper investigates some of the novel’s characters, particularly Nur, and her journey of self-discovery and belonging. In the novel, Nur is relentlessly out of place as she is caught between the binaries of the East and the West amidst a topophobic/philic reality. Thus, this paper illustrates how Abulhawa displays the struggle of finding home and belonging for Palestinians and their offspring outside of the homeland.

Keywords: Arab-Americans, Belonging, Diaspora, Homelessness, Topophobia/philia

Highlights

Spatiality affects Arab-American identity and belonging in contemporary Arab-American literature.
Abulhawa's The Blue Between Sky and Water displays how space shapes and alters the senses of home and belonging for Palestinians and their offspring.
The novel emphasizes the idea that the Palestinian diaspora encounter topophobic/philic situations in the liminal spaces of the in-between.
Being out of place is the predicament of most Palestinian-Americans.
Abulhawa's The Blue Between Sky and Water suggests that the notion of Thirdspace goes beyond the fixity of dualism and binaries and opens up paths for in-between situations.

Women and Violence: A Gendered Reading of Angst for Homeland

Longjam Gaurav Kumar Singha — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Following the Merger Agreement, 1949, a majority in Manipur, a sovereign State earlier, have always been skeptical of its inclusion into the Indian Union. In this context and to suppress the subsequent surge of secessionist groups, the Indian Union enacted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958. Thereby, Manipur has become a battlefield of the native insurgent groups and the Indian armed forces. As such, most works of literature from Manipur deal with themes of violence and conflict. In this bullet-riddled setting, this article endeavours to critically read a collection of poems “Angst for Homeland” from Tattooed With Taboos: An Anthology of Poetry by Three Women from Northeast India (2015). Through a gendered analysis of socio-cultural as well as political structures, the article attempts to explore the plight of women and the oppression they undergo amidst what Banerjee calls “two armed patriarchies.”

Keywords: Angst for Homeland, Violence, Women, Tattooed with Taboos, AFSPA, Manipur

El simbolismo de las Fronteras: Espacio, Identidad y Memoria Una lectura en la obra “Sillas en la Frontera”, modelos seleccionados

Hosni Mlitat — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

En este estudio, el investigador examina el concepto de "fronteras" según el método semiótico de Peirce, que se centra en el estudio semántico de la palabra, basándose en el significado de "símbolo", que es considerado como uno de los tipos de signos según este método. El autor dedica las primeras páginas a estudiar su significado y luego pasa a explicar el significado de las "fronteras" en la literatura, cultura y pensamiento, así como la relación entre las fronteras y el lugar, la identidad, la memoria y la etnia. El autor se enfoca en el conjunto de obras de teatro "Sillas en la Frontera" como modelo para ilustrar la connotación de las fronteras en la literatura. El autor concluye que el concepto de fronteras es un componente semántico utilizado para expresar temas contemporáneos en la vida humana, y que la literatura es un medio expresivo para interpretar este componente semántico.

Palabras clave: Las fronteras, la identidad, la memoria, la etnia, el racismo, la cultura.

Hightlights:

This study analyzes several contemporary plays written in both Spanish and Arabic.

These works are exceptional in their narrative and thematic expression.

The study employs Charles Peirce's methodology, focusing on his concept of “symbolism”: the symbolism of borders, characters, and speech.

This study is concerned with interpreting space (borders) from a theatrical perspective.

. The selected plays in this study share a common feature: they transform various types of borders into a coded anthropological space with multiple meanings and connotations.

The Poetry of Afro-surreal Jazz: A Cultural Revolution

Noor Al-Qaisi, Samira Al-Khawaldeh — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Preceded, and most probably influenced, by the French surrealists’ concept of Négritude, the Black Arts Movement was able to generate a new aesthetics derived from the African heritage, which made it a pivotal contribution to the American arts. Thus, this paper is designed logically to examine the poetry of Afro-surreal jazz as a manifestation of this cultural revolution. To achieve this, it approaches the poetry of Afro-surreal jazz on many levels, starting with theory and heading to application. Initially, the paper historically traces the parodic relationship between Surrealism and jazz. It detects the Harlem artists’ “dilemma” of not being able to identify a Black art of their own by adhering to the mainstream Whites’ cultural standards. Then, it studies the surreal turn that accompanied the Black Arts Movement, which bestowed on the Black arts, especially jazz music and poetry, surreal forms that abide by no regulations. Finally, and upon careful consideration, the discussion ends with a novel metaphoric decoding of the musical Afro-surrealism in Henry Dumas’ “play ebony play ivory.”

Keywords: Surrealism, Black Arts Movement, Jazz, Musical Afro-surrealism, Amiri Baraka, Henry Dumas.

Mapping Japanese Immigrant Experience: Econarratology in Oswald Andrew Bushnell's Gannenmono Duology

Kristiawan Indriyanto, E.N.E.W Kasih — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This paper explores the narrative technique Oswald Andrew (O.A.) Bushnell employed in his Gannenmono duology. The analysis delves into the novel's polyvocal narration and spatiality, which conjures readers' immersion in the Japanese immigrant experience in Hawai’i. An econarratological framework explores the dialogism of narrative voices and spatiality within the historicity of Hawaiian locality. This paradigm problematizes the subjective consciousness in imagining material realities, incorporating Japanese, Hawaiian, and Western/haoles perspectives. Throughout the duology, spatiality provides textual cues for the readers as Hawai’i is transformed from an unknown/alien land into an inhabited place. The narrative construction of the Hamakau ditch, a symbol of intercultural interaction and the multicultural fabric of Hawai’i, is a pivotal point in this exploration. To concur, Bushnell's polyvocal narration in the Gannenmono duology implores readers’ immersion through a localized account of the Japanese immigrant historicity and experience in Hawai’i.

Keywords: Diaspora; Eco-narratology; Japanese immigrant experience; Polyvocal narration; Spatiality.

Highlights:

An econarratological approach reveals how storyworlds engage readers through space and narrative voice.

Bushnell’s fiction historicizes Japanese immigrant experiences in Hawai‘i absent from insider-authored literature.

Bushnell’s polyvocal narrative blends Japanese, Hawaiian, and haole voices to deepen reader immersion.

Spatial cues transform Hawai‘i from an alien landscape into a meaningful and inhabited place.
The narrative explores cultural hybridity and tensions between Japanese spirituality and Western Christianity.

Littérature de jeunesse et Objectifs de Développement Durable : Exploration des voies vers un engagement global chez les jeunes

Malak Nabil Halabi — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0300

L'objectif de cet article est d'examiner comment la littérature de jeunesse pourrait être un moyen efficace d'explorer et de promouvoir les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD). À cette fin, il analyse les caractéristiques de ce type de littérature, sa relation avec la science-fiction et son impact sur la sensibilisation des jeunes à un avenir meilleur. L'article explore comment une œuvre destinée à la jeunesse pourrait servir à éduquer et à inspirer les jeunes à devenir des agents de changement positif face aux défis environnementaux et sociétaux. En utilisant l'exemple du roman Le Monde d'En Haut de Xavier-Laurent Petit, publié chez Casterman en 2010, au début de l'élaboration des ODD, l'article met en évidence comment la littérature de jeunesse pourrait être alignée avec plusieurs des ODD.

Mots-clés : littérature de jeunesse, ODD, science-fiction, littérature durable.

Highlights:

Youth literature is an effective tool to raise awareness about the SDGs.
Science fiction helps address environmental issues in an imaginative way.
The novel highlights environmental degradation and encourages reflection on nature.
The story fosters critical thinking and social awareness among young readers.
Youth literature serves as a sustainable educational tool that inspires action.