Negotiating Integration in the Arab Diaspora: A Study of Leila Aboulela’s “The Boy from the Kebab Shop”

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

English Department, Faculty of Women, Ain Shams University, Egypt

Abstract

This paper examines integration as a psychological strategy employed by Arab immigrants to navigate their experiences of diaspora in Western societies. Using John W. Berry’s fourfold acculturation model as a theoretical framework, the research explores the psychological implications of displacement and identity negotiation among Arab immigrants. It investigates how they balance the maintenance of their cultural heritage with adaptation to a foreign environment, highlighting the emotional and cognitive struggles they face. Through an analysis of Leila Aboulela’s short story “The Boy from the Kebab Shop,” this study explores the psychological conflicts faced by diasporic protagonists, focusing on themes of cultural alienation, displacement, homesickness, nostalgia, and multicultural identity formation. The research examines the integration process as a complex and individualized experience, revealing how each character employs distinct coping mechanisms to reconcile their ethnic identity with their host culture. The findings illustrate how integration emerges as a multifaceted and dynamic psychological process, shaped by the historical, emotional, and sociocultural backgrounds of the individuals involved.

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T.A. Safaa Diaa El-Din Saafan

Safaa Diaa is a Teaching Assistant at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science, and Education, Ain Shams University, specialized in English Literature. Her professional development includes the successful completion of various courses namely “Effective Teaching,” “Scientific Writing,” and “International Publishing.” She has also participated in workshops such as “Using AI Applications in Scientific Research,” and “Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Research Writing.” Regarding teaching role, she assisted in teaching for various undergraduate courses, including Listening and Speaking, Introduction to Novel for first-year students, as well as Conversation and Comparative Literature for third-year students. She is a master's degree student majoring in the field of minority literature and registered a thesis under the title: Negotiating Identity: Acculturation among Arab and Indian Immigrants as Reflected in Selected Short Stories by Leila Aboulela and Jhumpa Lahiri

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