Iraqi Utopia and Dystopia of Immigration in Shimon’s An Iraqi in Paris and Antoon’s The Novel of Collateral Damage

Abstract

This paper investigates the complicated interaction among utopian aims and dismal facts through the context of Iraqi immigration, as shown in Samuel Shimon's An Iraqi in Paris (2005) and Sinan Antoon's The Novel of Collateral Damage (2016). Its analysis endeavors to examine and claim new life of immigration concerning negotiating cultures. It uses theoretical frameworks from postcolonial studies, diaspora concept, and trauma studies (e.g., Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Lauren Berlant) to explore how those narratives deal with displacement, identity, reminiscence, and belonging. Each book displays that, at the same time as migration is initially conceived as a path closer to an idealistic values as utopia but the illuminated issues exhibit completely diverse. It often culminates fragmented and burdened "dystopia." This investigation offers light on the complexities of immigrant experiences and their depiction in modern literature. The methodology using around this study is a close reading critical textual analysis and comparative approach.