Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar
This paper analyzes two Saudi novels within the context of pandemics, employing a cultural imperialism perspective. The novel Humma Qifar قـفـار حـمـى (Fever of Qifar, 2003) is set against the backdrop of the oil boom in Saudi Arabia during the 1950s, while Safer Berlik برلك سفر (Mobilization,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2025
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/1/Gema_25_1_13.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848816493688520704 |
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| author | Suhail Ahmad, Abdel-Fattah M. Adel, Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales, Robert E. Bjork, Mohammed Almahfali, |
| author_facet | Suhail Ahmad, Abdel-Fattah M. Adel, Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales, Robert E. Bjork, Mohammed Almahfali, |
| author_sort | Suhail Ahmad, |
| building | UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper analyzes two Saudi novels within the context of pandemics, employing a cultural
imperialism perspective. The novel Humma Qifar قـفـار حـمـى (Fever of Qifar, 2003) is set against
the backdrop of the oil boom in Saudi Arabia during the 1950s, while Safer Berlik برلك سفر
(Mobilization, 2019) takes place during World War I, in the context of troop mobilization by the
Turks and the forced deportation of Arabs to Damascus. These novels document significant
moments of cholera and plague epidemics in the 19th century, highlighting the Ottoman Empire's
presence in the region. The narratives are intertwined with xenophobic European notions about
pandemics. Utilizing concepts of culture and imperialism from Raymond Williams and Herbert
Schiller, this study employs cultural materialism as its analytical framework. The analysis seeks
to identify commonalities within the historiographies of travelers and resident doctors who
emphasized cultural differences between Christians and Muslims, particularly regarding the
absence of quarantine measures, predestination, and divine intervention. Through textual,
comparative, and thematic analyses, the study highlights themes such as xenophobia,
mismanagement of quarantine, and disease transmission through communal gatherings like Haj The paper argues that Humma Qifar recycles the myth of Turkish cruelties, well poisoning, jinn
pricking, and divine intervention. Conversely, Safer Berlik encapsulates the portrayal of Turkish
soldiers as lustful and tyrannical, reflecting hegemonic European narratives of encroachment on
livestock holdings and financial corruption during plague times. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T01:06:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:generic.eprints.org:25964 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T01:06:45Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:generic.eprints.org:259642025-10-07T07:37:36Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/ Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar Suhail Ahmad, Abdel-Fattah M. Adel, Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales, Robert E. Bjork, Mohammed Almahfali, This paper analyzes two Saudi novels within the context of pandemics, employing a cultural imperialism perspective. The novel Humma Qifar قـفـار حـمـى (Fever of Qifar, 2003) is set against the backdrop of the oil boom in Saudi Arabia during the 1950s, while Safer Berlik برلك سفر (Mobilization, 2019) takes place during World War I, in the context of troop mobilization by the Turks and the forced deportation of Arabs to Damascus. These novels document significant moments of cholera and plague epidemics in the 19th century, highlighting the Ottoman Empire's presence in the region. The narratives are intertwined with xenophobic European notions about pandemics. Utilizing concepts of culture and imperialism from Raymond Williams and Herbert Schiller, this study employs cultural materialism as its analytical framework. The analysis seeks to identify commonalities within the historiographies of travelers and resident doctors who emphasized cultural differences between Christians and Muslims, particularly regarding the absence of quarantine measures, predestination, and divine intervention. Through textual, comparative, and thematic analyses, the study highlights themes such as xenophobia, mismanagement of quarantine, and disease transmission through communal gatherings like Haj The paper argues that Humma Qifar recycles the myth of Turkish cruelties, well poisoning, jinn pricking, and divine intervention. Conversely, Safer Berlik encapsulates the portrayal of Turkish soldiers as lustful and tyrannical, reflecting hegemonic European narratives of encroachment on livestock holdings and financial corruption during plague times. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2025 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/1/Gema_25_1_13.pdf Suhail Ahmad, and Abdel-Fattah M. Adel, and Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales, and Robert E. Bjork, and Mohammed Almahfali, (2025) Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies, 25 (1). pp. 233-250. ISSN 1675-8021 https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1803 |
| spellingShingle | Suhail Ahmad, Abdel-Fattah M. Adel, Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales, Robert E. Bjork, Mohammed Almahfali, Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title | Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title_full | Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title_fullStr | Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title_short | Individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the Saudi novels: Safer Berlik and Humma Qifar |
| title_sort | individual and social ramifications of epidemics in the saudi novels: safer berlik and humma qifar |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25964/1/Gema_25_1_13.pdf |