This crisis of belonging is caused by many factors, particularly those having to do with her status as a racialized diasporic subject in a dominant French Orientalist culture.

In Leila Sebbar’s Sherazade, the eponymous heroine finds herself constantly grappling with a crisis of belonging—belonging is to be understood here in a variety of ways, referring to a sense of home, appurtenance to a particular culture or community, or, more generally, a sense of being accepted by and in harmony with one’s environment. This crisis of belonging is caused by many factors, particularly those having to do with her status as a racialized diasporic subject in a dominant French Orientalist culture. In a well-supported and well-organized essay, and while paying close attention to the specific historical context of the novel, discuss the extent to which Sherazade’s sense of belonging is undermined by the enduring legacies of French Orientalism.

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