This homosexual skin the world imposed on me : A comparative study of the construction of sexual identity in the autobiographical works of Rachid O. and Abdellah Taïa

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, cultural hybridity and identity allocation. A number of conclusions were drawn, the most striking of which is perhaps that, particularly in the works of Taïa, homosexuality as an identity is viewed more as an unwanted layer of skin imposed by society than as a source of liberation.