Breaking the silence: Intersectionality and the ethics of representation in <i>Slaves’ Peanuts</i>

This article examines the representation of the Black ‘Other’ in Samiha Khrais’s novel Fustuq ‘Abid (Slaves’ Peanuts), focusing on the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. Despite the recent surge in Black representation in Arabic literature, the attention given to this topic in literary criticism, especially to the Black female, has been scant. Using Critical Discourse Analysis and drawing on Patricia Hill Collins’s notion of intersectionality, the article critiques the novel’s use of degrading language and stereotypes that perpetuate negative representation of Black identity and reinforce racial hierarchies, creating conditions that perpetuate ‘epistemic violence’ against the marginalised. The article highlights that Khrais’s racial privilege as an Arab writer as well as the narrative’s Arabo-centric discourse complicates the ethical representation of the Black ‘Other’. It concludes with the need for a more self-critical approach in Arabic literature, particularly when addressing the legacies of slavery to ensure that literature continues to play a role in advocating for social justice. This article contributes to discussions on representation, anti-Blackness, and intersectionality in modern Arabic fiction.