Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities

Abstract Since classical times, philosophy has maintained an inseparable connection with literature. This relationship is not confined to the application of philosophical theories in interpreting literary works. Numerous philosophers have argued that literature can serve as a medium for philosophization and the conveyance of knowledge. However, within many university curricula, literature is often regarded merely as a form of art, the primary function of which is the creation of beauty or the expression of emotions. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, employing the method of conceptual analysis, and drawing upon the theory of Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen, two contemporary analytic philosophers, the present qualitative, library-based study investigates whether knowledge can be conveyed through literary discourse. The study contends that serious literary works, by concretizing abstract philosophical concepts, offer readers a distinctive perspective through which to view the world and its problems in a new and different light. In doing so, literature provides a particular kind of insight or understanding that can be regarded as a form of knowledge/cognition. After the theoretical discussion, Anton Chekhov’s short story “Misery” is analyzed as an example to illustrate the potentials of literary works for philsophization and the quality of philosophical thoughts in literature. According to the findings of the present inquiry, since literary discourse possesses significant cognitive and ethical value, it ought to receive greater attention in discussions concerning the transformation and indigenization of the humanities in Iran.

Abstract The short story "The Pear Tree" by Goli Taraghi (1996) and its film adaptation directed by Dariush Mehrjui (1997) have been examined through various interdisciplinary approaches. Most analyses emphasize the presence of semantic oppositions, particularly the binary of fertility/infertility. The core argument of the present research is that the short and its film adaptations cannot be interpreted solely by drawing on conceptual binaries, as the complex and dynamic structures of meaning emerge through narrative movement between opposing and contradictory categories. Therefore, this descriptive analytical study adopts the analytical model of the Semantic Square developed by Algirdas Julien Greimas within a structuralist semantics, which demonstrates how discourse generates meaning through dynamic oppositions. The findings show that both the literary and cinematic discourses demonstrate the struggle of a symbolic character (the tree) to escape a state of suspension. At first glance, this seems to be a conflict between concepts of fertility and infertility, but a deeper semantic analysis reveals a movement among the four concepts of fertility, sterility, non-fertility, and non-sterility. In Taraghi’s story, meaning is shaped through literary and linguistic techniques, while in Mehrjui’s film, it is conveyed through cinematic codes and signs.

Abstract Today, geographical criticism can be used as a tool for analyzing literary texts in an interdisciplinary field. Among literary texts, novels play an important role in giving spatiality to the narrative. As one of the most prominent French writers, Albert Camus created many works in which space and time play a key role in the unfolding of historical events. In fact, the form that the fictional world takes determines the fate of the narrator and the work itself. In this research, the aim is to examine how space and time are formed in the novel The Plague. For this purpose, a descriptive-analytical method will be used in the analysis of the data, and in particular, Bertrand Westphal's theory in the field of geographical criticism will be used. He considers three hypotheses for space: space and time, transgression and referentiality. Furthermore, the use of the three main axes of geographical criticism according to him, which include tangible space, perceived space and imaginative-imaginary space, allows us to analyze multiple aspects of spatial representation in the novel and understand its role in the construction of key themes. This research shows that space, as a fundamental element in the construction of meaning, is not a neutral place in the novel The Plague, but rather a place of encounter with new phenomena and becomes a full-fledged actor in history, where the fears, concerns and hopes of the city's inhabitants are shaped.

Abstract This study explores the representation of intergenerational silence of women within contemporary Iranian crime literature, a silence viewed as a symbolic act embodying collective psychic continuity and functioning as a cultural mechanism of survival. Grounded in trauma and intergenerational memory theories, and emphasizing the concepts advanced by Caruth, Hirsch, and LaCapra, silence is portrayed not as absence but as a complex narrative articulation of pain and re-enactment of suppressed memory. The research aims to investigate processes through which remembrance and the transmission of wounds redefine feminine identity against patriarchal and cultural hierarchies of power. Using a descriptive–analytical approach and an interdisciplinary method, the study examines the correlation between crime fiction and trauma psychology through feminist and generational lenses in the Iranian novels, The Young Skull and Jordan's Crime. Findings indicate that silence functions not as narrative closure but as a platform for the repetition of the unsaid and gradual recovery of wounded memory, an unseen language acting as resistance and reconstruction of collective identity. Ultimately, trauma, intersecting with silence and transgenerational transmission, opens the possibility of restoring feminine discourse and reconstituting fractured subjectivity, enabling repetition rather than cessation.

Abstract This study aims to explore the connection between meaning and form in the context of Iranian art, investigating the relationship between the structures of Persian literature and the principles of geometry and aesthetics in traditional Iranian architecture. In this approach, art is considered as the manifestation of unity in multiplicity, and the pattern of form emerging from meaning within the Iranian‑Islamic intellectual system is contemplated. This approach demonstrates that interdisciplinary studies are an effective tool for uncovering the hidden layers of connection between poetic language and the spatial organization of architecture, and can provide a new framework for a comprehensive understanding of Iranian art. The research method is qualitative‑analytical and based on the comparison between poetic texts and architectural spatial structures. Accordingly, five prominent examples of traditional Iranian architecture have been selected, along with poetic samples from Rumi, Hafez, Saadi, and Nezami as comparative exemplars. The analyses reveal that the pattern of geometric proportions present in the mentioned architectural works correlates semantically with key concepts of Persian poetry, such as unity and love (in Rumi’s Masnavi), balance and moderation (in Hafez’s ghazals), ascent and perfection (in Nezami’s Khamsa), as well as moral order (in Saadi’s Golestan). The findings emphasize the coexistence of meaning and form systems and the symbolic function of geometry in conveying philosophical and mystical concepts; thus, Iranian art can be regarded as a reflection of the interaction between intellect and intuition, and a blend of poetic language and geometric logic. In addition to explaining the theoretical foundations of the connection between meaning and form, the research outcome paves the way for quantitative‑conceptual analyses in interdisciplinary studies of Iranian art and architecture.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyze Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005) under Cyborgian concepts of decentered – nomadic bio-subjects, trans-genetic organisms, and trans-humans that create metaphorically the biomedical characters undertaking the human cloning in the theoretical framework of cyborg biotechnology. The method is an interdisciplinary study between science and literature. Ishiguro shows the process of forming the human clones through tracing the main character’s memories, Kathy. The cyborgian theories of Donna Haraway, Paul Virilio and Rosi Braidotti are employed to study the genetic organs of the selected novel in bio-medical discourse. The study reveals that politicians make the bio-medical subjects dehumanize in biotechnology, using them as the bio-commodities. In Neo-capitalism, the cyborgian biomedical character is the platonic copy of the real human due to three reasons: first, it does not have any human subjectivity; second, it has possibly lost its human identity; and, third, its gene has been changed. However, the importance of this study portrays that cyborg bio-literature makes the biomedical subjects more re-humanized to claim agency over them in bio-narratives. Cyborg disappears the conventional borderlines and depoliticizes them, creating the transgressed boundaries.

Abstract This interdisciplinary study in the field of the sociology of literature aims to analyze the functions of "false consciousness" in Persian proverbs based on Jean Bachelard's theoretical framework. Using a descriptive-analytical method and a case study of several commonly used Persian proverbs, the research demonstrates how these aphorisms, under the guise of apparent wisdom and neutrality, contribute to the reproduction of dominant relations. They operate through five main functions: alignment, justification, concealment, positioning, and simplification. The results of this analysis indicate that these five functions, interacting with one another, form an ideological network that makes it difficult for members of society to understand and reflect on power structures. On one hand, proverbs compel the subordinated to submit by justifying the status quo and naturalizing inequalities. On the other hand, by simplifying complex realities, they prevent radical critique and social transformation. As a pioneering study in the systematic application of Bachelard's theory in the domain of folk literature, this article takes a step toward revealing the ideological role of culture in perpetuating unjust structures and emphasizes the necessity of a critical reading of seemingly harmless elements of everyday culture.

Abstract This study aims to investigate the complex dialectic between art and society through a critical comparison of the perspectives of Theodor Adorno and Pierre Bourdieu, two thinkers who, from distinct intellectual traditions, have each addressed the social origins of art and its relations to power. Methodologically, the research employs a documentary and comparative‑critical approach, drawing on Adorno’s theoretical critique and Bourdieu’s empirical analyses to explore the social and cultural forces shaping artistic production and perception. Within the framework of the Frankfurt School, Adorno conceives of art as a domain of resistance to the logic of the market and ideological domination, emphasizing its relative autonomy as a liberating force. In contrast, Bourdieu, through the concepts of field, cultural capital, and habitus, demonstrates that aesthetic taste and artistic production are reproduced within class structures and unequal power relations. The findings indicate that contemporary art possesses a dual and paradoxical nature: it can both reproduce mechanisms of domination and embody capacities for critique and resistance. The study concludes that a comprehensive understanding of the sociology of contemporary art requires the integration of Adorno’s critical approach with Bourdieu’s field‑based analysis.

Abstract This article examines the dramatic dimension of reciting the Persian qasida and its relationship to Aristotelian poetics. The discussion proceeds from two main premises: (1) Recitation—understood as an artistic mode of delivering poetry, particularly the laudatory qasida—emerges from the intersection of literature and drama; (2) A comprehensive understanding of recitation can only be achieved through an interdisciplinary perspective that combines literary and artistic analysis. From this vantage point, the laudatory qasida should not be confined to its textual content. It is not merely a vehicle for praise, but also a masterwork of artistic form. The term “form” here refers not only to the linguistic, rhetorical, and aesthetic structures of the qasida, but also to the performative qualities inherent in its recitation. Historically, the delivery of a laudatory qasida constituted a form of staged performance—where the poet or narrator stood in a designated place, positioned at the center of the audience’s attention, conveying meaning through intonation, presence, and gesture. Understanding this performative aspect is inseparable from the classical concept of akhz bil-wujuh found in early Arabic and Persian treatises on poetics—a notion that encapsulates the very essence of performance in tragedy, oratory, laudatory qasida, and satire.

Abstract The 2020 Iranian film Bi Hameh Chiz (Without Everything), inspired by Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s play The Visit, narrates the story of social tensions and structural violence in a remote village, culminating in a collective agreement to sacrifice one of the inhabitants. This study applies René Girard’s philosophical–cultural anthropology to examine two key mechanisms in his theoretical framework—mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism—within the film’s narrative structure. The article’s analytical framework combines anthropology, philosophy, sociology, mythology, social psychology, and film studies, and draws comparative references to examples from literature and myth, juxtaposing them with the situations depicted in the film. The analysis demonstrates how mimetic desire in the relationships between characters—especially the shifting positions of “mediator” and “object” between Lili and Amirkhan—drives social tension to a crisis point, leading the community to resort to the archaic scapegoat mechanism as a means of restoring apparent order. The findings indicate that, although the scapegoat mechanism in modern societies appears in altered, more ‘civilised’ forms, it continues to operate at the level of the collective unconscious and in political–social behaviours. At times, it is reproduced in ways that appear rational or socially sanctioned. These results underscore the necessity of interdisciplinary analysis of cultural productions in order to reveal the hidden layers of violence and persistent archetypal behavioural patterns in contemporary societies.

Abstract This study examines the narrative and representation of physical disability, gender, and masculinity in The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. It extends beyond the confines of literary analysis, adopting an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates the domains of literary and cultural studies with disability theory to investigate how Victorian norms shaped perceptions of the disabled body, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, and analyzing Eliot’s portrayal of Philip Wakem. The research emphasizes the intersection of physical disability, emotional sensitivity, and constructs of masculinity and femininity within the social fabric of the Victorian era. Drawing on cultural criticism and disability theories, especially those of Lennard J. Davis and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, the analysis applies concepts such as “narrative prosthesis” and the “identity-forming body” to explore character development and narrative structure. Philip Wakem, the disabled character, embodies a non-normative form of masculinity marked by emotional depth and traits often associated with femininity, positioning him in stark contrast to dominant, physically powerful male figures like Tom and Stephen. His physical impairment results in social exclusion and restricts his emotional and sexual agency. Yet, through his intellectual and emotional strengths, Philip becomes a moral observer whose presence encourages Maggie’s emotional awakening and ethical growth. Ultimately, Eliot’s novel, through a realistic and empathetic lens, critiques the ableist structures of Victorian society and redefines disabled identity within a broader cultural and social framework.

Abstract The introduction of theatre to Iran during the Qajar period was the result of cultural transformations and the encounter of intellectual elites with Western civilization. The pioneers of Iranian theatre regarded playwriting as a tool for social critique, political agency, and the denunciation of governmental corruption, particularly in the absence of a democratic system. During the second Pahlavi era, especially following the the coup d’état of 19 August 1953, theatre increasingly became a site for the representation of power relations and the articulation of social critique. From an interdisciplinary perspective, theatre functioned as an intervention in the public sphere, the political field, and the production of the social. Employing a qualitative discourse analysis methodology and drawing on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, this study examines the nature and mechanisms of discursive meaning-making in the works of Gholamhossein Sa‘edi. The central objective of this research is to explore how social critique is discursively constructed in Sa‘edi’s plays. The findings indicate that Sa‘edi portrays people as ignorant masses and the state as a dominating and hegemonic force. His discourse extends social critique beyond the Pahlavi regime and challenges any political order grounded in a centralized state, considering the realization of a socialist utopia to be contingent upon a process of desirable structural reconfiguration. In plays such as Vāy bar Maghlub and Parvarbandān, intellectuals are depicted as being entrapped within capitalist mechanisms and liberal hegemony; they either submit to the dominant order or resort to ineffective forms of individual action that ultimately contribute to the reproduction and stabilization of hegemony. Sa‘edi’s critique focuses on the obstruction of collective consciousness and the limitations of emancipatory action, while the critical discourse.

Abstract This article explores the intricate interplay among humanity, the capitalist system, and the environment within the framework of climate fiction (cli-fi) in Amirkhani’s Rahesh (2017) from the perspective of left thinkers. Deploying a descriptive-analytic method and drawing on the theoretical perspectives of critics such as David Harvey and Donna Haraway and notions such sympoiesis as “sympoiesis," "kin-making," and " co-becoming," the writer tries to discuss whether environmental problems are purely ecological in nature or not. It is argued that environmental degradation, rather than being primarily an anthropocentric phenomenon, is a product of the Capitalocene and the capitalist system. In other words, although phenomena such as global warming, air pollution, and biodiversity loss may appear to be the result of anthropocentrism and the entrenched human/nonhuman binary, they are, in fact, symptomatic of a capitalist order that relentlessly exploits both human activity and natural resources, regardless of ecological consequences. Accordingly, the only viable path out of environmental crises lies in rejecting anthropocentrism and reconfiguring humanity’s relationship with the natural world. This reconfiguration or Chthulucene requires an embrace of the principles of coexistence and sympoiesis between humans and the more-than-human world.

Abstract The multidimensional prism of the legend of Kaykhosrow has a significant capacity for interpretation through various approaches and a high ability to adapt to both old and new works of art worldwide. By studying this story, based on the plot of “Western screenplays”, new angles and dimensions of this work are revealed. For this purpose, the present study adapts the story of Kaykhosrow to the stages of the hero's journey and its role in Western films. The primary source in this research is Ferdowsi's narration of the legend of Kaykhosrow, which possesses a more epic and earthly aspect than mythological narratives and is therefore more suitable for adaptation in contemporary works. The main framework of the research is the plot of classic Western films, which Will Wright extracted through his study of dozens of Western cinemas. These studies show that, despite many differences in the temporal, spatial, and cultural origins of the "legend of Kaykhosrow" and the "Western film", there are many commonalities between the two. The archetypal foundations of "Western cinema" and the purely human themes in "Kaykhosrow's story" are important factors in the correspondence and similarity between these works, which makes the global significance of "Kaykhosrow's legend" significant in the Context of comparative literature.

Abstract In Purple Hibiscus (2003), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie depicts the intersections of trauma, colonial legacy, and personal transformation within the postcolonial context of Nigeria. This article examines the novel through three interrelated perspectives. The first section examines the oppressive patriarchal structures embodied in the character of Eugene Achike, whose religious fanaticism and authoritarian control create an atmosphere of fear and psychological trauma, reflecting a broader critique of patriarchal power and political tyranny in contemporary Nigeria. The second section explores Christianity as a colonial legacy and instrument of repression, focusing on Western Catholicism internalized and practiced in Nigeria, which contributes to silence, guilt, and cultural erasure. The final section considers Kambili’s character development as a narrative of hope and resistance. Through her gradual awakening and the subtle acts of defiance by her brother and mother, the novel gestures toward the possibility of rebirth and the reclamation of agency. Drawing on the postcolonial theories of Homi Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak, this article investigates cultural hybridity, mimicry, and the recovery of voice and identity in Purple Hibiscus. The findings of this study indicate that the novel not only portrays the mechanisms of patriarchal and religious oppression in postcolonial society but also offers a complex process of both individual and collective resistance.

Abstract This study examines the relations of power in both colonial and indigenous communities, also the way of resistance of indigenous people to colonialism. By referring to Michel Foucault's theoretical framework of the relations of power and the issues related to resistance, it demonstrates the reasons for which Umoufia society seeks refuge in cultural integration and avoid physical encounter with colonialism. While showing a true picture of cultural ups and downs in Umoufian community at the heart of colonialism, and trying to correct the earlier representations of cultural barbarism of African societies, Chinua Achebe introduces the audience to different forms of the relations of power in the contact zone of colonialism and Umoufia tribe. The present essay aims to answer the key question: at the time of confrontation, why and based on what kind of reasoning do clan members seek refuge in the policy of appeasement and prefer cultural integration to physical confrontation with colonialism? According to Edward Said, natives show resistance through knowledge, discourse and cultural difference, mostly embedded in power relations.

Abstract Giovanni Battista Cipriani’s eighteenth-century portrait entitled Shakespeare Striding through a Storm-Ridden Landscape and Edward Bond’s twentieth-century play entitled Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death each represent a unique picture, rooted in their contemporary concerns and iconization, of William Shakespeare. Cipriani and Bond’s works can be taken as the representatives of two opposing approaches, namely conservative and radical, to Shakespeare: The former appropriates “the bard” politically for the maintenance of the ruling class’s interests, while the latter appropriates Shakespeare socially to oppose the avaricious nature of the capitalist system. In this article, these works are incentives to discuss class struggle in Shakespearean appropriations. To this end, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s concepts of “minoritarian” and “majoritarian” and Roland Barthes’ notion of “naturalization” are applied as the theoretical framework of the study to help understand the possibility of appropriation and also deconstruction of the author for political and social aims.

Abstract This article critically examines and rereads J. Daniel Elam’s World Literature for the Wretched of the Earth (2021) in order to show how it advances a radical rethinking of world literature and sketches an “impossible” project for the humanities to come. Rejecting institutional and market-driven definitions of world literature as a canon, discipline, or network of globally circulating texts, Elam reconceives it as an act: a reader-centered, collective, future-oriented, and potentially emancipatory practice. Beginning with Dante and Erich Auerbach, the essay develops the idea of “reading in times of crisis,” where reading becomes an existential and political response to exile, historical rupture, and the collapse of meaning. The discussion then engages a series of anticolonial figures—including Lala Har Dayal, B. R. Ambedkar, M. K. Gandhi, and Bhagat Singh—to demonstrate how practices of collective, self-effacing reading can function as political training grounds, unsettling authorial supremacy and opening a shared horizon oriented toward egalitarian futures whose realization remains uncertain. For Elam, the “wretched” are those cast by empire and modernity into a world not of their choosing; reading, in this context, is neither nostalgic restoration nor academic exercise, but a disciplined renunciation of self-sufficient authority and a slow construction of a democratic “we” (or "us"). World literature, thus, becomes less a body of texts than an ongoing ethical and political practice through which readers attempt to inhabit, however provisionally, the possibility of a more just and shared world.

Abstract The book Comparative Literature in Fluctuation, written by Roya Latafati and Bita Moazami Farahani, (Samt, 2019) is one of the analytical and theoretical works in Persian in explaining and introducing new aspects of comparative literature. This educational work, which is written in five chapters, has been compiled as one of the main and specialized resources for students of French language and literature (Comparative Literature course) at both master’s and doctoral levels. The findings of this critical research in explaining the merits and shortcomings of this work are as follows; This concise educational work has introduced and analyzed up-to-date topics and areas in comparative literature that have been less addressed by other Iranian researchers. On the other hand; Utilizing new research, proposing new issues in the field of comparative literature, scientific consultation with Enrô Eloïe Bonrou (Professor of Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne), using some examples and cultural-literary evidence from Iran in explaining topics, mentioning necessary footnotes, etc. are some of its other merits. However, the lack of questions and teaching guides, the lack of explanation of the educational goals expected of learners, the lack of attention to punctuation marks and some structures of the Persian language, the obscurity and ambiguity in the expression of some issues, as well as the use of English words and expressions that have equivalents in the Persian language, etc. are among its shortcomings.                                                                                                        

Abstract Due to the dynamic essence of comparative literature there are many debates about the definition of this field of study among academia. Adrijana Marcetic, a professor of comparative literature in Belgrad University, in her book "After the Comparative Literature" (1961), tries to solve some of these misunderstandings by writing about the history of comparative literature theories. She wrote the book on Serbian language and then after Greta Goetz translated it into English and then Masoud Farahmand and Pegah Farhangmehr retranslated from English to Persian. The Persian translation of the text is good, but there are some mistakes. For example, they altered the translation of some words like "hybridization" and " divergence." If we consider the problems of translating the pretranslated texts, it is apparent that translators faced a plethora of obstacles and there is insufficient time and ability to cover this area in its entirety. The researcher will analyse the book in this review.

Abstract Comparative cultural study is the new, field in comparative literature. One of the areas that is examined in this interdisciplinary field is media studies, and the analysis of the diverse forms of media in their historical, cultural, and political contexts. Media and culture studies utilize a wide range of cultural theories with a focus on the functions of media within a diverse and global cultural environment.

Media, as a powerful tool, can manipulate signs and change values, influencing the perceptions of its audience, acting as an empty subject of individuality. This study examines the role of media in creating individual and collective illusions, reconstructing and presenting a fictional world based on the film The Truman Show in the field of comparative cultural studies. The creators of The Truman Show strive to create the illusion of the world for Truman, using all the resources and modern technology available. In addition to exploring the power of the media in constructing a fake world and implementing psychological operations by the show's creators to enhance the illusion of the real world, the writer examines the show's creators' strategies for maintaining the credibility and control of this illusion in Truman's mind. It also analyzes the impact of media power on the audience based on the analysis of the details of the show's viewers and their behavior being mechanized. Finally, the writer demonstrates how The Truman Show challenges not only the display of media power in controlling public minds but also its influence and performance.

Abstract Children and adolescent literature in Iran is still a developing field. Studies in the field of children's literature are interdisciplinary and include fields of psychology, social sciences, Persian literature, and educational sciences. Limited studies exist on the challenges of children's literature in Iran. The aim of this study is to extract the components of "content challenges in children and adolescents’ fiction" considering the current situation.The current study was conducted using qualitative content analysis. The study is an applied research and adopts an inductive approach and employed the interview method for data collection. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 people who were subject experts, authors, and key informants. After documenting the interviews, semantic units were extracted as codes, then were grouped and categorized. Initially, 186 codes were collected. After removing duplicates, the total number of codes decreased to 117. Finally, by merging and combining the codes, the final number reached 48. These 48 codes were classified into five main components and 24 sub-components The content analysis of the interview texts showed the challenges of children's fiction in five main components, these components are 1- translated stories; 2- content production; 3- Author or Authorship; 4- The role of governance; 5- social and cultural conditions of society. Analysis and review of the opinions of experts in the field of children and adolescents’ literature showed that, despite the fact that the number of copies of books published in the field of children and adolescents in the country is increasing, and there are numerous challenges in the field of children and adolescents’ fiction. The challenges in various areas such as the content of works, the role of governance, writing, and translated works require attention, planning, and policy-making of the major authorities. Given the intergenerational role adolescents play in both receiving and transmitting social and cultural concepts, any indifference in this process can lead to numerous future cultural and social challenges. Therefore, knowing that the youth fiction in Iran is evolving, there is a need to pay more attention to the challenges found out in the research.

Abstract The present interdisciplinary qualitative study aims to analyze James Joyce’s “Araby” based on Hegelian dialectic. This seminal story from Dubliners has received immense critical reception over the years and has been studied through various critical frameworks. However, its potential for analysis based on Hegelian dialectic has been largely overlooked. Considering the last episode of the story as a moment of epiphany and self-realization, the study seeks to discuss how the protagonist’s development of consciousness can be interpreted based on the three stages of Hegelian dialectic: Understanding (Idealization of Mangan's sister and the bazaar), Dialectical (faced with contradiction at the bazaar), and Speculative (the final epiphany). The analysis demonstrates how the narrator’s initially fixed determinations and alienated consciousness in the understanding stage face their contradiction at the dialectical moment, resulting in the final epiphany, which mirrors the last stage of the dialectic where contradictions are resolved and self-realization is achieved. Further, based on the principles of Hegelian dialectic rooted in philosophical idealism, the study not only asserts that the narrator’s consciousness evolves through a process driven by contradiction, but it also interprets the narrator’s journey from naïve idealization to self-realization as a universal process of maturation. To avoid a mechanical and rigid application of the dialectical method, the analysis relies on close textual reading to identify the elements that contribute to each moment of the dialectic and deeply contextualizes the argument to deviate from oversimplification of the text.

Abstract This article explores the complicated interaction of artistic expression with cultural identity through two novels by Orhan Pamuk: My Name is Red and The White Castle. The analysis will lean upon an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that brings together Stuart Hall’s view on cultural identity as a fluid entity, Homi Bhabha’s theory of cultural hybridity, and Arjun Appadurai’s work on global cultural flows. This research demonstrates how Pamuk’s narratives contest given binary oppositions between East and West, and also tradition and modernity, through close textual investigation, reflecting upon questions regarding cultural change within the Ottoman framework. The study shall show how Pamuk’s characters negotiate the multiplicities of cultural influence through artistic utterance and personal metamorphosis with a view to creating new identities beyond borders. While tension in My Name is Red between Ottoman miniature traditions and Western portraiture is in itself a vehicle toward cultural adaptation, The White Castle presents an identity exchange between an Italian scholar and his Ottoman captor, which shows, through time and interaction, the permeable nature of such a boundary. This study focuses on how globalization equally amplifies traditional binaries and creates opportunities for their transcendence, enriching our understanding of Turkish literary modernism. It holds the view that cultural identity can be jointly created not simply by negating or fully accepting foreign influxes but by being in creative interaction with both the traditional and the new, and thus provides an important insight into the understanding of cultural change in societies experiencing rapid globalization and modernization.

Abstract This interdisciplinary study examines the role of literary translation in responding to socio-political reforms in Iran during the Second Pahlavi era, particularly after the White Revolution. Three English novels, translated into Persian within five years following the White Revolution, were analyzed to explore references to women’s rights, employing Marshall’s model of citizenship rights. The examination of Persian translations revealed that all instances of women’s civil, social, and political rights were preserved, with a majority remaining unaltered and a minority altered for further endorsement. Translators intervened to oppose women’s rights in only 3% of cases. While policies aimed at enhancing Iranian women’s quality of life, particularly concerning health and family rights, garnered support in these translations, those geared towards aligning women’s social roles and lives with Western modernization standards, rather than societal cultural norms, encountered resistance and changed. These findings underscore the impact of the White Revolution on societal attitudes in Iran and highlight the role of literary translation as a potential platform for reacting to socio-political developments, shedding light on the complexities of modernization in Iran during this period.

Abstract The relationship between the text and the reader has been greatly influenced by the emergence of new forms of narration. These new forms are created by adding interaction to the text. By adding interaction to a narrative, these new forms create more opportunities for readers to control and shape the narration, resulting in a heightened level of immersion. Moreover, this type of narration opens up new possibilities for developing narratives that can serve various purposes beyond entertainment. This study aims to compare interactive forms of narration, such as FMV (Full Motion Video), ARG (Alternate Reality Games), escape rooms, interactive books, and plays, while examining the relationship between immersion and interactivity in these formats. While the reader will be a crucial point of focus, we will employ a qualitative method alongside quantitative measures to illustrate how variations in interactivity within a narrative can alter the readers’ immersive experiences across different modes of interactive narration.

Abstract This article examines how identity, nostalgia, and belonging impact Nicolas Urfe in John Fowles’s The Magus (1965). Drawing upon Homi Bhabha’s “Hybridity”, Stuart Hall’s “Cultural Identity”, and William Safran’s “Myth of Homeland”, the objective of this article is to recognize the futility underlying Nicolas’s relentless endeavors to establish a sense of belonging and reconcile with his inner turmoil and inherent desire in order to reveal the origins of his internal conflicts, such as anxiety, restlessness, and rootlessness. The significance of this article lies in its endeavor to analyze the diasporic experience on an individual ground that does not align with the typical paradigms of Nicolas’s relocation. This article also explores whether Nicolas feels a sense of belonging to a particular place that he can consider as home. We try to respond to two fundamental questions, namely what influences exist behind the adoption or rejection of a new self-identity by Nicolas in Fowles’s The Magus?, and does Nicolas with multi-layered identity associate with both native land and hostland, namely England and Greece, respectively in Fowles’s The Magus? In order to fill the existing gap, we explore how Nicolas’s identity oscillates between pre-immigration and post-immigration spaces, namely England and Greece, respectively.

Abstract This essay discusses the political dimensions of Omar El Akkad's American War and Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future, exploring their distinct yet interconnected critiques of governance, authoritarianism, and global cooperation in times of existential crisis. Drawing upon diverse political theories, such as Hobbesian social contracts, Arendtian distinctions between power and violence, and Marxist critiques of systemic inequality, the analysis situates these novels within the broader context of speculative fiction’s role in reimagining political systems. By examining themes of climate change, radicalization, systemic reform, and international diplomacy, this study illuminates the enduring relevance of speculative narratives as blueprints for understanding and addressing contemporary global challenges. These narratives not only critique existing power structures but also offer innovative perspectives on the possibilities of systemic reform. Ultimately, the essay positions speculative fiction as a vital tool for envisioning alternative trajectories for a just, inclusive, and sustainable future, emphasizing its transformative potential in shaping political and ecological discourse.