Representations of gender in Raja Ben Slama

Abstract

The study aims to trace gender representations in the writings of Tunisian critic Raja Ben Salama, particularly in her book "The Structure of Virility," to expose the patriarchal institution's perpetuation of male superiority through heritage discourses.

It employs a critical-analytical approach, reading Ben Salama's texts from the Arab corpus (jurisprudence, poetry, criticism), drawing on deconstruction and psychoanalysis.

Central questions address how the masculine/feminine binary is culturally constructed, the existence of a "third gender" in heritage, and writing's role in resisting male hegemony.

It also examines the limits of the "Bayān" system as a phallocentric structure that erases feminine difference and imposes virility in poetic and intellectual discourse.