دراسات
Volume 15, Numéro 1, Pages 1230-1245
2026-06-09
Arabic Travel Literature: The Dilemma Of Genre Classification
Authors : Bouattit Amel .
Abstract
Abstract This study examines the Arabic travel narrative through the lens of its generic identity and its relationship with broader forms of Arabic prose writing. It proceeds from the premise that travel is not merely a physical journey, but a discursive experience that intersects with various domains of knowledge including history, geography, anthropology, autobiography, the essay, and poetry. The paper explores the challenge of literary classification, highlighting the difficulty of confining travel literature within rigid boundaries due to its hybrid, fluid, and multifaceted nature. It underscores the documentary and epistemological dimensions of Arabic travel literature, which extend beyond geographical description to encompass a rich interplay between observation, reflection, and cultural encounter. Central to this discourse is the figure of the traveler–narrator, whose personal vision and interaction with the Other transform travel into an act of self-discovery and knowledge production. The study thus reveals the transformative and open-ended character of Arabic travel literature — a genre that resists stabilization and redefines itself as a “genre of genres.” Ultimately, Arabic travel literature emerges as an interdisciplinary and dynamic field, inseparable from its historical and intellectual contexts. It represents an open literary form that harmonizes multiple discourses and artistic expressions, constructing a distinct yet ever-evolving literary identity.
Keywords
Arabic travel literature; ; generic identity; ; literary classification; ; textual hybridity; ; cognitive interconnection
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