Bootheina Majoul

"اين نيز می کذرد" Narrative Plasticity in Rahimi's War Chronicles

Introduction

"اين نيز می کذرد" narrative plasticity in rahimi's war chronicles. Explore Atiq Rahimi's war chronicles through Malabou's theory of plasticity. Unpack his war trauma, conflicted bond with his homeland, and how he transforms pain into art & history.

Abstract

This paper examines Atiq Rahimi’s war chronicles through the lens of Catherine Malabou’s theory of plasticity. It aims to deconstruct his war trauma and understand his conflicted relationship with his motherland: he sometimes mourns it and longs for it, while at other times he stares at it and hopelessly portrays its regretful annihilation. Through novels, films, letters, and photographs, he attempts to sustain a bond with his homeland. The plasticity of his works allows history to be preserved. Malabou’s notion of plasticity will be used to demonstrate the precariousness of memory and the fragility of perceptions in times of war. This article will highlight how Rahimi, through his “vision of thoughts,” transforms his pain into art and his chronicles into history.

Review

This paper proposes a timely and insightful examination of Atiq Rahimi’s war chronicles, employing Catherine Malabou’s theory of plasticity as its central analytical framework. The chosen approach promises a sophisticated deconstruction of war trauma and a nuanced understanding of Rahimi's conflicted relationship with his motherland. By exploring how his artistic output, spanning novels, films, letters, and photographs, endeavors to sustain a bond with his homeland, the study stands to make a significant contribution to both trauma studies and literary criticism concerning the Afghan diaspora experience. The incorporation of the poignant Persian phrase in the title immediately sets a compelling and culturally resonant tone for the inquiry. A clear strength of this submission lies in its robust theoretical grounding. Malabou’s concept of plasticity, with its dual emphasis on the capacity for formation and destruction, is particularly well-suited for analyzing the precariousness of memory and the fragility of perception in the extreme conditions of war. The abstract effectively outlines how this lens will be used to demonstrate Rahimi's artistic process, transforming personal pain into art and chronicles into history through what the author terms a "vision of thoughts." The broad scope of Rahimi's oeuvre, encompassing various media, suggests a rich intertextual analysis that will provide ample evidence for exploring how history is preserved and personal trauma is processed through diverse narrative forms. To further enhance the paper's impact, it would be beneficial to consider a more explicit articulation of how this engagement with Malabou specifically differentiates the present study from existing scholarship on Rahimi or war narratives. While the theoretical application is clear, highlighting the unique interpretive avenues plasticity opens that other theories might overlook would strengthen its novelty. Additionally, a deeper engagement with how the *specific* characteristics of each medium (novel, film, photograph, letter) contribute distinctly to the concept of narrative plasticity and the preservation of history could enrich the analysis. Finally, exploring how the evocative Persian phrase from the title itself might embody or reflect aspects of plasticity – its capacity for meaning to adapt, endure, or transform – could add another layer of textual and theoretical depth.

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