Representations of the Social System in the Novels of Alaa Mashzoub(A Study in the Light of Cultural Criticism)

Abstract

Approaching the cultural structures of the narrative text reveals the limits of systemic convergence in producing meaning within the text. The social system can be described as networks of values, norms, representations, and practices aimed at regulating the behavior of individuals in society, along with the resulting relationships and social phenomena. In this study, the social system is manifested through uncovering the implicit cultural connotations embedded in selected novels by the writer Alaa Mashzoub. The research seeks to examine social reality, its problems and crises, the prevailing and dominant values with their various roots and references, and how individuals deal with these crises. These novels reflect the confrontation between human beings and the effects of wars, social alienation, and the contradictions, fragmentation, and loss of identity experienced by society within a fragile and ambiguous reality. They reveal the stance of the characters toward this crisis-ridden reality, as they suffer from instability, weakness, and regression. This drives them to search for alternatives and safe spaces, escaping from authority and wars. Furthermore, the novels portray human suffering during the sanctions of the 1990s, which were marked by harshness and the absence of a decent life. Accordingly, the writer presents a comprehensive panorama of the period of tyranny and dictatorship, the practices of authority, and the American occupation of Iraq in 2003, and how individuals confronted brutal and violent phenomena associated with these turbulent stages.