Ghorba Chronicles

About Ghorba Chronicles

The Arabic word 'ghorba' loosely translates to estrangement, exile, and longing for home. 

Nadeen Dakkak (2023: 1) describes it as:

"It is at once the fact of being physically distant as a foreigner far away from home, a psychological and emotional state of alienation and estrangement, and a reference to the foreign place itself, the land where one becomes a stranger and suffers the challenges that accompany this position, be they mundane, everyday struggles of adaptation, or the deeper strains of homesickness."

This first edition of Ghorba Chronicles explores how young Scotland-based Muslim women respond to the question, 'What would you tell or show the 'ghorba' if it invited you for tea?' 

Thank you to Sehar Mehmood, Maria Farsoon, and Ishrat Rahim for their insightful, critical, and creative contributions. 

Disclaimer: 

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in the zine are those of the respective authors and artists only and do not represent the views of the editor or the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World at the University of Edinburgh.

Content Note:

Please note that some pieces in this zine reflect on and discuss racial violence, alienation, and belonging. The piece starting on page 8 discusses a racial slur used against South Asians and people of South Asian descent.

Access the zine via the link below:

Support:

The development and printing of Ghorba Chronicles was kindly supported by the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World at the University of Edinburgh. 

Previous Call for Submissions:

Visit the previous call for submissions.

Works Cited:

Dakkak, N. (2023) ‘Introduction’, in Dakkak, N. (ed.) Narratives of Dislocation in the Arab World: Rewriting Ghurba. 1st edition. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge: 1-22.