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According to some literary and anthropological theorists, the plurality of masculinities in Morocco cannot be adequately expressed by the concept of homosexuality. Nevertheless, as a result of colonialism, the hetero-/homosexual dichotomy has become part of the collective Moroccan consciousness, despite the fact that it remains in conflict with more traditional ways of thinking. The friction created by such opposing epistemologies is rendered even more complex as authors of Morrocan origin living in Paris endeavour to write of their marginalised sexualities, due in part to the lingering preference of the French literary market for exoticism, which brings with it a host of other identity-related expectations and challenges. Two authors with similar origins and trajectories, both born and raised in Morocco and from roughly the same generation, Rachid O. (Abdellah Oubaïd) and Abdellah Taïa both immigrated to Paris as young adults, where they became published writers known primarily for the transcultural homoerotic themes and identity-related issues their works contain. Dealing in large part with stories of young Moroccan men coming to terms with their marginalised sexuality, many of their works are considered to be autobiographical in nature. Upon closer examination, it is interesting to note that both authors rarely use the words ‘homosexual’ or ‘homosexuality’ until much later in their respective careers. Consequently, the current study seeks to compare how such ‘homosexuality’ is constructed in their works, by contrasting three works published by each author, two published toward the beginning of their literary career, and one a number of years later. In doing so, particular attention was paid to the relationships the protagonists of each author have not only with the words used to describe their sexuality, but also with the other characters and places around them. The theoretical framework for such analysis was provided by concepts such as hegemonic masculinity

According to some literary and anthropological theorists, the plurality of masculinities in Morocco cannot be adequately expressed by the concept of homosexuality. Nevertheless, as a result of colonialism, the hetero-/homosexual dichotomy has become part of the collective Moroccan consciousness, despite the fact that it remains in conflict with more traditional ways of thinking. The friction created by such opposing epistemologies is rendered even more complex as authors of Morrocan origin living in Paris endeavour to write of their marginalised sexualities, due in part to the lingering preference of the French literary market for exoticism, which brings with it a host of other identity-related expectations and challenges. Two authors with similar origins and trajectories, both born and raised in Morocco and from roughly the same generation, Rachid O. (Abdellah Oubaïd) and Abdellah Taïa both immigrated to Paris as young adults, where they became published writers known primarily for the transcultural homoerotic themes and identity-related issues their works contain. Dealing in large part with stories of young Moroccan men coming to terms with their marginalised sexuality, many of their works are considered to be autobiographical in nature. Upon closer examination, it is interesting to note that both authors rarely use the words ‘homosexual’ or ‘homosexuality’ until much later in their respective careers. Consequently, the current study seeks to compare how such ‘homosexuality’ is constructed in their works, by contrasting three works published by each author, two published toward the beginning of their literary career, and one a number of years later. In doing so, particular attention was paid to the relationships the protagonists of each author have not only with the words used to describe their sexuality, but also with the other characters and places around them. The theoretical framework for such analysis was provided by concepts such as hegemonic masculinity

The aim of this study is to examine how the need for belonging and search for an identity manifest themselves in the autobiographical works of two gay contemporary writers: Abdellah Taïa and Édouard Louis. Both authors have, during their childhood and adolescence, been confronted with a society that tried to exclude them for being ‘different’ and not fitting in the heterosexual norm. Suddenly, they don’t belong anymore, but the need for belonging still exists, despite the insults they have been exposed to. By trying to identify exactly how their feeling of belonging is treated throughout their texts, the analysis deals with the process of transformation they undertake. It’s about a re-appropriation of identity that is linked to the stigmatisation felt by the authors, upon being excluded from their families and native environment, due to their homosexuality. How does the need for belonging take form, not only in the authors’ explicit discourse, visible to all, but also by more implicit stylistic means? Are there any indications to the style that can be associated with the expression of emotions in their texts? Combining socio-literary theories with stylistics, the aim is, on the one hand, to look into the role of the performative statements in the assignment of places in the societal hierarchy, as well as the individual’s process of identity re-appropriation. On the other hand, the objective is to attempt a positioning of gay self-writing in the French autobiographical tradition, in order to determine whether or not one can consider this relatively recent emancipatory form of writing a specific genre – or sub-genre – of autobiographical writing. The analysis shows that the consequences of the performative statements issued by society are far-reaching, eclipsing not only the authors’ feeling of self, but also triggering a perpetual self-questioning, where a constant sorting of memories takes up a central place in the process of identity re-appropriation. But it also d

Ce mémoire a pour but d’étudier comment l’auteur Abdellah Taïa dépeint l’homosexualité et les classes sociales dans la société marocaine, à travers ses oeuvres L’Armée du Salut (2006) et Le Jour du Roi (2010). La méthode utilisée dans le mémoire est l’herméneutique, qui donne la possibilité d’utiliser ses propres interprétations des textes pour les analyser. Les ouvrages étudiés révèlent les difficultés de vivre dans une société religieuse où l’homosexualité est condamnée ainsi qu’interdite par la loi et où l’avenir d’une personne dépend de son statut social., The goal of this essay is to study how the author Abdellah Taïa portrays homosexuality and class differences in the Moroccan society in his two works L’Armée du Salut (2006) and Le Jour du Roi (2010). The method used in the essay is hermeneutics, which makes it possible to use personal interpretations of the texts for the analysis. The studied texts reveal the difficulties of living in a religious society where homosexuality is condemned as well as forbidden by law and where a person’s future is dependent on his or her social status.

Ce mémoire a pour but d’étudier comment l’auteur Abdellah Taïa dépeint l’homosexualité et les classes sociales dans la société marocaine, à travers ses oeuvres L’Armée du Salut (2006) et Le Jour du Roi (2010). La méthode utilisée dans le mémoire est l’herméneutique, qui donne la possibilité d’utiliser ses propres interprétations des textes pour les analyser. Les ouvrages étudiés révèlent les difficultés de vivre dans une société religieuse où l’homosexualité est condamnée ainsi qu’interdite par la loi et où l’avenir d’une personne dépend de son statut social., The goal of this essay is to study how the author Abdellah Taïa portrays homosexuality and class differences in the Moroccan society in his two works L’Armée du Salut (2006) and Le Jour du Roi (2010). The method used in the essay is hermeneutics, which makes it possible to use personal interpretations of the texts for the analysis. The studied texts reveal the difficulties of living in a religious society where homosexuality is condemned as well as forbidden by law and where a person’s future is dependent on his or her social status.