Author: Shahd Alshammari, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait
Email: alshammari.s@gust.edu.kw
Published: September 16, 2022
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijcs.7.1.04
Citation: Alshammari, S. (2022). Life Writing by Kuwaiti Women: Voice and Agency. IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.22492/ijcs.7.1.04
Abstract
Life narratives are rare in the Gulf region due to many issues. Kuwait women’s writing about their lives, bodies, illnesses, and disabilities is almost unheard of. This article considers two texts by contemporary Kuwaiti women and situates their illness narratives within Kuwait’s social context. By writing about their illness and disability, the authors re-claim their voice and agency, writing their silenced bodies as Helene Cixous urges women to write through Écriture feminine. This article examines two texts from a comparative perspective, highlighting themes of disability, mental illness, and healing through writing.
Keywords
disability, illness, Kuwait, Middle East, women