Brazilian Maksuna: the arabic immigrant’s figuration in Salim Miguel’s narratives

Abstract

Although the Arab-origin communities’ immigration to Brazil dates back to 1884, it is possible to recognize the “ghostly apparition” of that figure in our literature, even in the colonial period. Later, as the national romantic project is strengthened, the figuration of the Arabic changes in our lyrics, following the tortuous path from its “exoticization” to its conformity. Until the moment when the descendants of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants entered the national literary scene, redefining and problematizing the univocal and distant image previously painted. To reflect on that complex process, we have selected some important moments in the dynamics of figuring the Arabic in Brazilian literature, paying special attention to the Arab immigrant’s representation in Salim Miguel’s narratives. That writer not only dialogues with the Arab subject symbolism patterns throughout the Brazilian literary tradition, as well as also challenges the very idea of a unique, homogenizing, and fracture-free memory around which national identity is organized.