Oppression in Ahlam Mosteghanemi's Memory in the Flesh: A Postcolonial Psychoanalysis

Abstract

This study explores the psychological dimensions of oppression in Ahlam Mosteghanemi’s novel Memory in the Flesh, employing psychoanalytic literary theory as its primary analytical framework. Drawing on the theory of Sigmund Freud, the study investigates how the novel’s characters; particularly Khaled and Hayat, manifest internalized trauma, repression, and identity fragmentation as a result of personal and national histories as a result of colonial domination. Through a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach, the study offers a close reading of the text to uncover how psychological oppression operates beneath the surface of the characters’ actions, memories, and language. The analysis reveals that the novel is not only a reflection of Algeria’s postcolonial disillusionment, but also a narrative of personal psychological entrapment. By situating the characters’ emotional struggles within broader psychoanalytic and postcolonial contexts, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how literature can encode the invisible burdens of historical and psychological conflict.