Echoes of the Hakawati: The art of Storytelling in The Map of Salt and Stars

Jaimi Abraham; Sucheth P R

Makale detayları

Echoes of the Hakawati: The art of Storytelling in The Map of Salt and Stars

Yazarlar:

Jaimi Abraham | Sucheth P R

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Dünya Dilleri | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü (Diğer)

Dergi:

Litera: Dil Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.219-232

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355154

pISSN:

2602-2117

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 This paper reflects on how the storytelling tradition in Syria, practiced by hakawatis, has become the narrative strategy of the novel The Map of Salt and Stars 2019 by Jennifer Zaynab Joukhadar, a Syrian American writer. Hakawatis, the storytellers, are keen observers of political and cultural developments in society, and narration is a tool for the reaction to these changes. Gravely affected by the civil war, Syrian culture suffers from the disruption of its long-cherished cultural practices, including storytelling. The Map of Salt and Stars employs the lens of the characteristic features of a story narrated by hakawati. This study argues that the novelist transfigures herself into a modern hakawati, realising the power of storytelling and deploying it as a medium of truthful representation and social criticism. Joukhadar transforms the oral storytelling tradition into a written narrative, informing the world about the gruesome realities of the civil war and forced migration. She considers this the most appropriate and accessible form of expression and adheres to the hakawati tradition throughout the text. This paper follows the method of textual analysis and evaluates aspects of the novel, such as the narrative, the plot, the characters, the spectacle, and the messagethe key traits of a story recounted by a hakawati, as Ahmed Yousaf, a famous storyteller from the United Arab Emirates, states.

 This paper reflects on how the storytelling tradition in Syria, practiced by hakawatis, has become the narrative strategy of the novel The Map of Salt and Stars 2019 by Jennifer Zaynab Joukhadar, a Syrian American writer. Hakawatis, the storytellers, are keen observers of political and cultural developments in society, and narration is a tool for the reaction to these changes. Gravely affected by the civil war, Syrian culture suffers from the disruption of its long-cherished cultural practices, including storytelling. The Map of Salt and Stars employs the lens of the characteristic features of a story narrated by hakawati. This study argues that the novelist transfigures herself into a modern hakawati, realising the power of storytelling and deploying it as a medium of truthful representation and social criticism. Joukhadar transforms the oral storytelling tradition into a written narrative, informing the world about the gruesome realities of the civil war and forced migration. She considers this the most appropriate and accessible form of expression and adheres to the hakawati tradition throughout the text. This paper follows the method of textual analysis and evaluates aspects of the novel, such as the narrative, the plot, the characters, the spectacle, and the messagethe key traits of a story recounted by a hakawati, as Ahmed Yousaf, a famous storyteller from the United Arab Emirates, states.

 This paper reflects on how the storytelling tradition in Syria, practiced by hakawatis, has become the narrative strategy of the novel The Map of Salt and Stars 2019 by Jennifer Zaynab Joukhadar, a Syrian American writer. Hakawatis, the storytellers, are keen observers of political and cultural developments in society, and narration is a tool for the reaction to these changes. Gravely affected by the civil war, Syrian culture suffers from the disruption of its long-cherished cultural practices, including storytelling. The Map of Salt and Stars employs the lens of the characteristic features of a story narrated by hakawati. This study argues that the novelist transfigures herself into a modern hakawati, realising the power of storytelling and deploying it as a medium of truthful representation and social criticism. Joukhadar transforms the oral storytelling tradition into a written narrative, informing the world about the gruesome realities of the civil war and forced migration. She considers this the most appropriate and accessible form of expression and adheres to the hakawati tradition throughout the text. This paper follows the method of textual analysis and evaluates aspects of the novel, such as the narrative, the plot, the characters, the spectacle, and the messagethe key traits of a story recounted by a hakawati, as Ahmed Yousaf, a famous storyteller from the United Arab Emirates, states.

 This paper reflects on how the storytelling tradition in Syria, practiced by hakawatis, has become the narrative strategy of the novel The Map of Salt and Stars 2019 by Jennifer Zaynab Joukhadar, a Syrian American writer. Hakawatis, the storytellers, are keen observers of political and cultural developments in society, and narration is a tool for the reaction to these changes. Gravely affected by the civil war, Syrian culture suffers from the disruption of its long-cherished cultural practices, including storytelling. The Map of Salt and Stars employs the lens of the characteristic features of a story narrated by hakawati. This study argues that the novelist transfigures herself into a modern hakawati, realising the power of storytelling and deploying it as a medium of truthful representation and social criticism. Joukhadar transforms the oral storytelling tradition into a written narrative, informing the world about the gruesome realities of the civil war and forced migration. She considers this the most appropriate and accessible form of expression and adheres to the hakawati tradition throughout the text. This paper follows the method of textual analysis and evaluates aspects of the novel, such as the narrative, the plot, the characters, the spectacle, and the messagethe key traits of a story recounted by a hakawati, as Ahmed Yousaf, a famous storyteller from the United Arab Emirates, states.

Makale detayları

Echoes of the Hakawati: The art of Storytelling in The Map of Salt and Stars

Yazarlar: Jaimi Abraham | Sucheth P R

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Dünya Dilleri | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü (Diğer)

Dergi: Litera: Dil Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.219-232

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001355154

pISSN: 2602-2117

Syria

culture

hakawati

storytelling

civil war

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Jaimi Abraham | Sucheth P R

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Dünya Dilleri | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü (Diğer)

Dergi:

Litera: Dil Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.219-232

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355154

pISSN:

2602-2117