Algeria from Western Lenses in Isabelle Eberhardet’s Yasmina and Other Stories

Senouci Meberbeche, Faiza; Ouldyarou, Saadia

Revue algérienne des lettres
Volume 10, Numéro 1, Pages 200-208
2026-06-30

Algeria From Western Lenses In Isabelle Eberhardet’s Yasmina And Other Stories

Authors : Senouci Meberbeche Faiza . Ouldyarou Saadia .

Abstract

This article examines the representation of Algeria in the travel writings of Isabelle Eberhardt, with a particular focus on her short story collection Yasmina and Other Stories (1902). While travel literature has often served as a tool of imperial knowledge production, reinforcing stereotypes of the “Orient” as exotic, static, and inferior, Eberhardt occupies a complex position within this tradition. Born in Geneva and later converting to Islam, she traversed boundaries of gender, religion, and culture, adopting multiple identities that complicate her role as both insider and outsider in colonial Algeria. Drawing on postcolonial theory, particularly Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism and Homi Bhabha’s notion of hybridity, this study analyzes how Eberhardt’s writings both reproduce and challenge dominant Western discourses of the Maghreb. Through close textual analysis, the article demonstrates that Eberhardt’s Algeria is portrayed in ambivalent terms: the landscape is alternately romanticized as timeless and harsh, while Algerian traditions are depicted with both admiration and exotic fascination.