Traditions and Religious Rituals in Resisting American Occupation: An Indigenous EcocriticalReading of Maysalun Hadi’s The Prophecy of Pharaoh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol21.Iss4.1264Keywords:
indigenous ecocriticism, The Prophecy of Pharaoh, identityAbstract
This study examines the traditions and rituals of indigenous Iraqi communities, as depicted in Maysaloun Hadi’s The Prophecy of Pharaoh, through the lens of Indigenous Ecocriticism, which emphasizes the importance of traditional rituals, cultural heritage, and land-based practices within Iraqi communities. The research aims to analyze how cultural traditions, spiritual practices, and the impact of American occupation are presented in the novel. Employing a qualitative approach, the study examines the effects of colonialism and its extractive industries on land, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge of indigenous Iraqis. The analysis reveals that the novel reclaims indigenous Iraqi identities by revitalizing ancestral knowledge, sacred rituals, and spiritual ties to the land. These cultural expressions form an act of resistance against American occupation. The study concludes that rituals, traditions, and spiritual ties to the land serve as spiritual practices and tools for decolonization, preserving ancestral knowledge, identity, and resisting ecological and cultural erasure.
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