In Conversation with Nourhan Mohamed
Dr Nourhan Mohamed, a UNMC alumna and a PhD holder in English, obtained her Master and Bachelor in English Linguistics (with Honours) from Alexandria University, Egypt. She has taught linguistics at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia as well as Alexandria University. Her research has been presented at various conferences, one of them being the Poetics and Linguistics Association conference in 2020.
Merging the world of language and literature, Dr Nourhan's research talk on 'National Identity and the Cognitive Stylistics of Post-Arab Spring Egyptian Fiction' studies the interface between language and literature, specifically the construction of group identities within the interface. An incisive and brilliant researcher in the field of linguistics, she has explicated the role of language and its technicalities in fiction, thus demonstrating the potential of fiction as a source for knowledge and politics.
With this interview, Nadzirah Najlaa uncovers Dr Nourhan's journey in conducting her research, delving further into its analytical approaches, selected criteria for the texts studied and advice for aspiring students
of research.
Nadzirah Najlaa (NN)
Dr Nourhan, attending your research talk on ‘National Identity and the Cognitive Stylistics of Post-Arab Spring Egyptian Fiction' has been an intriguing and eye-opening experience for me as a final year undergraduate student in English Language and Literature. What was the inspiration that has driven you to uncover the interplay of identity and language through works of fiction?
Dr Nourhan Mohamed (DNM)
Thank you for your kind words. I have always been interested in group identities, how they are constructed and represented through language and social practice. I previously worked on the construction of gender through the stylistic choices of Roald Dahl for my MA project. My PhD topic selection stems from a deeply personal experience, as I was present in Egypt during the protest period. I did not participate in demonstrations, but I had the chance to experience the revolution as it unraveled firsthand, follow up with its media coverage on a local and global scale. For me, as for most people from my age group, it was exhilarating to see how drastically Egyptian thought and social practice changed during the 18 days between Jan 25th and Feb 11th. Given my background as a student of linguistics, I developed an interest in tracing the discursive manifestation of this change and chose fiction after finding out it was the least explored modality in terms of scholarly analysis.
NN
Language, with all its intricacies, is a complex medium of communication and therefore becomes an integral aspect of our lives. Being a linguist, how has language piqued your interest in studying and researching its multifaceted nature?
DNM
Not everyone can claim they know the reason they love the things they do, so I can't quite trace my interest in linguistics to a particular moment. I suppose I always had a predisposition to analytical endeavors. I enjoy bringing order to chaos, grouping chunks of information in a way that would create a meaningful pattern. I also have a wide range of subjects of interest in the social sciences, spanning sociology, psychology, and cognitive science; it would have been impossible to not exclude one or more of these from my scope of potential interdisciplinary research had I chosen any field of study other than linguistics.
NN
Considering the varying analytical approaches found in linguistics, what were some of the reasons for pairing Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) and Text-World Theory (TWT) in your research instead of other approaches? Do both approaches effectively assist in dissecting narratives found in the selected novels?
DNM
My thesis makes the argument that they do, yes. Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) has established tools for gauging power and agency in discourse. A wealth of stylistic studies reinforced that certain transitivity patterns create characters who are detached or unaware of their situation, or have little to no control over it. Many transitivity configurations have been proven essential in manipulating or reducing the perception of power and moral responsibility of individuals. Sometimes, as is the case with one of The Queue, a closer look at the interpersonal metafunction through a functional move analysis does much to unravel how dialogue negotiates power and solidarity between characters too. Because of its emphasis on the clause as a unit of analysis, SFG does not account for other aspects of fictional narratives, such as the use of space and time, and the creative 'symbolic' level of literary language in a fiction. Text World Theory, by contrast, provides tools to track space and time in fictional texts. It accounts for narration/focalization with a model that blends point of view with modality and integrates clause-level features such as negation and hypothetical constructions, with narrative techniques such as indirect and free indirect speech/thought. Where SFG stands to benefit from being paired with TWT is a more cognitive-sensitive modelling of context. Together, they combine microscopic clause-level analysis with a macroscopic, genre-oriented and audience-sensitive perspective.
NN
Reading through Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities, how have both Otared and The Queue shaped the communal identities of the characters to present the idea of nationalism?
DNM
Well, the two texts construct the identities of fictional characters differently, mainly due to differences in narration and text-world building. Distinctively dystopian, Otared juxtaposes a 1st person narrator of a questionable reliability with characters whose identities are significantly obscure. The characters that Otared's protagonist encounters are often nameless, their focalization is almost completely suppressed because they do not reflect on their surroundings via speech or thought, and they are persistently objectified. This focalization suppression impairs their empathetic recognizability and presents them as less-than-human. The Queue, by contrast, foregrounds enactors through variable focalization, through topicality, agency and definiteness. These contrasting text-world building patterns, similar to clause-level findings, suggest a disintegration of enactor agency, from foregrounded but ineffectual focalizer-enactors in The Queue to mindless enactors in Otared.
NN
As students of Literature and Linguistics, there is a collective understanding of the love we share for books and the fickleness to decisively choose between them, especially with regards to their suitability for analysis or merely the simple act of categorising them as a favourite. Does this resonate with you in the process of selecting the novels for your research? Have the novels impacted you in any way as you research more on its underlying messages and content?
DNM
It does resonate with me, but not in the process of selecting the novel. Text selection was strictly driven by evidence of critical acclaim as well as certain criteria like for instance date or publication (i.e. after 2011) and author's nationality (i.e. Egyptian). Working on dystopian texts- especially Otared- was at times emotionally draining due to its exaggerated shocking texture. Otared subverts both nationalism and honor and paints an apocalyptic vision of the Egyptian social space and its inhabitants. The Queue was less fatalistic, but in many ways tragic in its blatant depiction of character's ineffectuality. I enjoyed the analysis a great deal, of course, but if I get the choice now to analyze a text, I would not choose a dystopian novel again, at least for some time.
NN
Both Otared by Mohammed Rabie and The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz capture the dystopian world of their characters, depriving them of a sense of realism due to the atrocities that were accounted vividly in the novels. Given the inhumane conditions withstood by the characters, what has struck you in unravelling the characters’ socio-political thoughts, distinct personalities and acts from their social interactions in both novels?
DNM
In one of the texts, The Queue, much of the narrative unravels through dialogue and so direct and indirect speech were repeatedly used to focalize the events from the point of view of different characters. Their thoughts weren't always sociopolitical per se, but the verbal contestation of power among civilians suggested a polarization that recalled the splintering of pro-democracy youth in the period immediately following the Arab Spring.
NN
Listening to your research has been awe-inspiring, introducing me to the complexities that underlie identity, unity and disintegration of a community with regards to the political stances of a country through language. What lies ahead for you in the research area? Would you be exploring more on these notions in fictional works, and if not, what are your future research plans?
DNM
I am glad you enjoyed it, thank you! What lies ahead is potentially a step away from national identity in fiction and towards other equally exciting projects. I am looking into a few ideas concerning the use of literary linguistics in the literature classroom, or what stylisticians call pedagogical stylistics. The main premise of the subfield is that a deep understanding of stylistics can lend itself to the teaching and learning of literature, just as much it does to creative writing. I am also currently working on The Out of Office Project with Dr. Melissa Yoong. It is a research project that examines the 1st person narratives of 25 Malaysian women who have opted out of formal employment, to further the pre-existing literature on women's career aspirations and the structural barriers they encounter in remaining in the workforce using a critical narrative analysis.
NN
Dr Nourhan, as a final note to this interview, is there any advice that you would want to share with aspiring students who are interested in conducting research in the field of Literature and Linguistics?
DNM
I struggled a little with this question. I generally think the post-graduate journey is different for everyone, in and out of the field of literary linguistics. As much as it offers space for autonomy, a PhD can provide fewer opportunities (than, say, undergraduate classes or MA programs) for building support networks, which has a direct impact on the mental health and sometimes academic progress of PhD students. I was fortunate enough to have supervisors and colleagues who supported and championed me and who gave me valuable feedback. A closely knit support network of fellow researchers who provide guidance, motivation, moral support and perspective on the process and the thesis would - in my opinion- make all the difference.
Note: this interview was conducted via e-mail.