Journal Article

Transnationalism and Linguistic Ambivalence in Selected Poetry by Egyptian-American Poets

Saafan, Mai Mahmoud

2020

Overview

This paper examines the intersection of transnationalism and linguistic ambivalence in selected works by Egyptian-American poets, showing how migration and hybrid belonging shape a poetic discourse marked by tension between identities and languages. Transnationalism is presented as an interpretive framework that explains the interplay of national and cultural affiliations beyond the nation-state, producing hybrid identities and plural voices. Linguistic ambivalence emerges as a natural consequence of displacement and acculturation, as poems oscillate between mother tongue and acquired language, generating texts rich in meaning yet fraught with tensions. The study demonstrates how these poets engage themes of belonging, exile, nostalgia, and self-discovery in bilingual and bicultural contexts. The use of both Arabic and English within a single poem is analyzed as not merely linguistic code-switching but a deliberate aesthetic and identity strategy. This duality results in a distinctive poetic form where linguistic shifts themselves become markers of the migrant experience. The research concludes that Egyptian-American poetry provides a unique literary model that embodies cultural crossing in its human and linguistic dimensions, highlighting creativity born from the friction of multiple affiliations. Abstract Written by Dar AlMandumh, 2025, Using AI

• Publisher: جامعة عين شمس - كلية البنات للآداب والعلوم والتربية
• Subject: الأدب المقارن / الشعر الأمريكي / الشعر العربي / النقد الأدبي / مصر