Naguib Mahfouzs Task of Cultural Representation

In the first half of the twentieth century, many arab writers were engaged in a long and difficult task aimed at achieving cultural independence and intellectual decolonization after years of inertia aused, if not imposed on them, by foreign domination. these writers were well aware of the fact that literature, amongst other types of artistic production, was a powerful medium for human expression, especially for those who look for better representation of their cultural identity. they observed, in particular, the rise in the social power of the novel as an important form for expressing the collective imaginary (jacquemond, 2008: 221-2), and realized that we, the arabs, are among those who have a very strong yearning for this kind of expression. our cultural identity has for decades been under pressure and threat of fragmentation, ironically, in an age of identity. (1) we have been worried about our identity and we need to affirm it; we need to show who we are.