Representation of the symbolic violence of power in the novel The Palm Tree and the Sultan of the City based on Pierre Bourdieu's approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant professor. Department Of Arabic Language and Literature. Lorestan university.

2 Assistant professor. Department Of Arabic Language and Literature. Farhangian university. Tehran. Iran

Abstract

Bourdieu does not consider violence to be limited to the exercise of physical power, and from his point of view, governments use a form of violence on the masses that mostly deals with beliefs and value systems and even culture, and considers it symbolic violence. Based on Bourdieu's views, the present research investigates symbolic violence in the novel Al-Nakhla and Sultan Al-Madinah by Jalawji. The findings of the research show that The narrator of the story is a young ruler who seeks to stabilize and produce power by changing collective beliefs and habits. In his first action, in order to change people's beliefs and habits, he orders to cut down a sacred palm tree, and by using a justification discourse, he makes the act of cutting down the palm tree believable to the people, and his action in cutting down the palm tree means abandoning authenticity, culture and civilization. Arabic and trying to accept emerging western intellectual currents. In the following, based on the principle of rejection of the rival, which is one of the political behaviors of the government in applying symbolic violence in Bourdieu's social perspective, he removed three intellectuals from his court, including Al-Nakhli, and in order to monopolize power, the monarchy and declares a kingdom and changes the intellectual and cultural roots of the people to stabilize it.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Research in Narrative Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 April 2025

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