نقد و تحلیل اکوفمینیستی رمان«تغریبة القافر» زهران قاسمی

Introduction: Ecofeminism, or ecological feminism, critically examines the relationship between the domination of nature and the exploitation of women. This critical approach seeks the shared roots of these forms of oppression in hierarchical and patriarchal structures in which women are defined through concepts such as femininity, the body, and nature, while men are defined through masculinity, spirit, and the supernatural. Although various approaches exist for classifying ecofeminism, its two main branches are generally identified as cultural ecofeminism and social ecofeminism. Cultural ecofeminism emphasizes the inherent and natural connection between women and nature and explains this affinity from a biological perspective and through women’s biological characteristics in pregnancy and childbearing; whereas social ecofeminism, by focusing on power relations, gender, and social structures, demonstrates how the domination of women takes shape simultaneously with the destruction and exploitation of nature. The historical connection between women and nature is rooted in ancient global myths and is also reflected in contemporary literary texts. Zahran Al-Qasimi, an Omani nature-oriented writer, in her novel Taghribat al-Qāfir, not only addresses the vital importance of water, but also depicts the connection between women and nature and water, the position of women in rural society, and the manner of men’s interaction with nature and women. This novel narrates the story of a woman who, by resorting to the healing power of water to alleviate her chronic headaches, ultimately responds to the call of a water well and falls into it. This fall does not signify a bitter tragedy; rather, it symbolizes her true union with Mother Earth. The novel also examines the manner in which other Omani women confront the norms of patriarchal culture and their real and symbolic connection with nature. Accordingly, the present study, drawing on the ecofeminist critical approach and with the aim of analyzing the relationship between women and nature in Taghribat al-Qāfir, seeks to answer two main questions:

1.In Taghribat al-Qāfir, how do women behave toward and confront the norms of patriarchal culture?

2.According to the ecofeminist critical approach, how is the relationship between women and nature represented in Taghribat al-Qāfir?

Methodology: This study is conducted using a descriptive-analytical method based on ecofeminist criticism. It investigates the roots of oppression and injustice against women and nature, as well as the real and symbolic relationship between women and nature.

Results and Discussion:The present study is examined and analyzed in two main sections. The first section addresses women’s reactions to the rules and norms of patriarchal culture, while the second section explains the real and symbolic connection between women and nature. In the novel Taghribat al-Qāfir, four female characters play a central role in the life of the main character of the story, Salim bin Abdullah: Maryam, Salim’s mother, a woman whose death is intertwined with the birth of a new life and whose giving birth coincides with the rebirth of the landو Kadhiya Maryam’s aunt, who, despite remaining unmarried, acts as a kind and caring mother to Maryam and her son Salim; Asiya, who, after losing five of her children, remains in longing for motherhood and compensates for this emotional and spiritual void by breastfeeding Salim; and Nasra, Salim’s wife, who continues to wait for his return after his long absence. Some of these women display different reactions toward the frameworks of the patriarchal system. Kadhiya represents complete submission to this system; Asiya, despite the deep psychological wounds inflicted by her husband, forgives him; and Nasra, by refusing a forced marriage imposed by her father and brothers, seeks her own independence. These diverse actions in response to social and cultural structures provide the ground for a deeper understanding of women’s position and their connection with nature.

The relationship between women and nature in this novel can be examined on two levels: a real connection, manifested in women’s retreat to nature during moments of inner and emotional turmoil, confiding in nature, and benefiting from it for healing illnesses; and a symbolic connection, which is formed through the comparison of women to natural elements, particularly water and earth. In this narrative, women and the land share a functional affinity; both possess a generative nature and preserve life and vitality under all conditions. This functional similarity is also evident in the comparison of women to water: woman, like water, is the source of life, a symbol of purity and the continuity of existence, who, like water, gives birth to and nurtures being. In contrast to this connection between women and nature, the manner of men’s relationship with nature in the novel is noteworthy. Although, according to the authors’ view, attributing damage to nature should not generally be generalized to a specific gender, the performance and actions of men in Taghribat al-Qāfir support the notion that they play a greater role in the destruction of nature. Within the context of the drought crisis and the effort to gain access to water, all the male characters participate in the process of harming nature through digging the earth and excavating qanats.

Conclusion: Ecofeminism, as an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, is based on the shared concerns of environmental ethics and feminist ethics and critiques the structural mechanisms of simultaneous domination over nature and women. The analysis and examination of the novel Taghribat al-Qāfir show that the female characters respond to the norms of patriarchal culture through various behaviors, including acceptance and submission, forgiveness and forbearance, and at times norm-breaking actions. In this narrative, the connection between women and nature appears in two dimensions: real and symbolic, and their destiny becomes intertwined with nature, particularly with water and land. In this novel, a woman is not merely a part of nature but the manifestation of nature itself; a generative and life-giving being who, like the land, is the cradle of birth and fertility, and, like water, the source of life and existence.