Digital Identity Representation in Contemporary Arabic Novels: A Posthumanist Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67245/locana.v1i1.24Keywords:
Digital Identity, Contemporary Arabic Novels, Modern Arabic Literature, Digital TechnologyAbstract
Purpose – This study aims to analyze the representation of digital identity in contemporary Arabic novels through a posthumanist perspective. It addresses how advances in digital technology, social media, artificial intelligence, and virtual spaces influence the construction of identity, social relations, and the meaning of human existence in modern Arabic literary narratives.
Design/methods/approach – This research employs a qualitative method with a descriptive-analytical approach. The study applies posthumanist theory as its main analytical framework. The data consist of textual elements from contemporary Arabic novels that present themes of digital technology, cyberspace, and identity transformation. Data were collected through documentary study and analyzed using close reading and thematic analysis.
Findings – The findings show that digital identity in contemporary Arabic novels is represented as fluid, hybrid, and multidimensional. Characters are no longer portrayed as subjects with single and stable identities, but as individuals who continuously negotiate between physical and virtual selves. Digital technology is also depicted not merely as a communication tool, but as an active agent that shapes consciousness, memory, power relations, and self-construction.
Research implications/limitations – This study is limited to textual analysis of selected contemporary Arabic novels, so its findings are interpretive and context-specific. Future studies may expand the corpus or compare Arabic literary works with other literary traditions.
Originality/value – This study contributes to Arabic literary studies by offering a posthumanist reading of digital identity and highlighting contemporary Arabic novels as important sites for understanding human transformation in the digital era.
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