The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent: Religions and Conflicts in Francophone Literature from the Arab World

Bourget ingeniously elaborates a spirited and unapologetic critique of the political economy of publishing and translation in the United States and of the failures of canonized Franco-Arab littérateurs and comprador intellectuals to attend to the multiple grievances of their societies of origin at a time when their voices were in high demand. The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent is without a doubt an important step in the laudable endeavor to examine the role of Islam in ongoing decolonial struggles and a major contribution to the study of Francophone Arab literature and culture. — Nouri Gana, University of California, Los Angeles

The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent is a remarkable contribution to the study of cultures and Francophone literature of the Maghreb and Mashreq. The book identifies several sociocultural and political controversies of the current Arab world [and]. . . .encourages us to consider how the Arab writers of expression French, writing in France and elsewhere in the French-speaking diaspora, formulate their responses to Western discourse…about Arab peoples. . . .His thesis requires us to decipher the religious, political, economic, and cultural factors in order to analyze how to Arab-speaking authors negotiate their marginal space between two worlds that are often in opposition. His book shows that it is imperative that these two worlds are reconciled to confront the growing tensions in our globalized age.

Her critical lens is particularly pertinent today in a world in which Islamic fundamentalism has become increasingly violent and acute political/religious problems in the region, such as the Palestine-Israeli conflict, have not been resolved. . . .[The book] is a provocative and interesting study organized thematically around a series of conflicts. . . .Bourget’s text, admittedly provocative, is an important addition to francophone literary studies in its range of writers and its willingness to take on complex issues. It sensitizes readers to the importance of engaging in critical analyses that clarify rather than obfuscate thorny political and religious issues, for we readers sorely need texts that grant insight into the various political, cultural, and religious conflicts that plague the Middle East and North Africa today.

Carine Bourget boldly delivers a probing critique of firmly ensconced views of Islam, Muslim minorities in France, and Muslims in Arab Francophone societies. Bourget forcefully rearticulates thorny political and theoretical issues at the intersection of Islam, politics, history, and Francophone literature. Her analysis of Francophone cultural productions is an original and important contribution and is likely to spark a thoughtful and informed debate on issues at the core of the field of Francophone and cultural studies. — Safoi Babana-Hampton, Michigan State University

This book represents a courageous, well articulated, and significant critique of important texts by both major and less well-known writers that scholars have generally shied away from criticizing. — Anne Donadey, San Diego State University