Morsy, Dr. Amal Galal Mohammad. (2021). The American Soft Power between Cultural Reconciliation and Identity Obliteration in Multiethnic-Oriented Novels. مجلة کلية الآداب جامعة الفيوم, 13(العدد 2 (اللغويات)), 2355-2415. doi: 10.21608/jfafu.2022.142432.1770
Dr. Amal Galal Mohammad Morsy. "The American Soft Power between Cultural Reconciliation and Identity Obliteration in Multiethnic-Oriented Novels". مجلة کلية الآداب جامعة الفيوم, 13, العدد 2 (اللغويات), 2021, 2355-2415. doi: 10.21608/jfafu.2022.142432.1770
Morsy, Dr. Amal Galal Mohammad. (2021). 'The American Soft Power between Cultural Reconciliation and Identity Obliteration in Multiethnic-Oriented Novels', مجلة کلية الآداب جامعة الفيوم, 13(العدد 2 (اللغويات)), pp. 2355-2415. doi: 10.21608/jfafu.2022.142432.1770
Morsy, Dr. Amal Galal Mohammad. The American Soft Power between Cultural Reconciliation and Identity Obliteration in Multiethnic-Oriented Novels. مجلة کلية الآداب جامعة الفيوم, 2021; 13(العدد 2 (اللغويات)): 2355-2415. doi: 10.21608/jfafu.2022.142432.1770
The American Soft Power between Cultural Reconciliation and Identity Obliteration in Multiethnic-Oriented Novels
Fayoum University, Faculty of Arts, Department of English Language and Literature
المستخلص
One of the debatable concepts which receive an increasing interest among scholars, philosophers, politicians, sociologists, and others is the concept of 'soft power'. A concept with a long history and a contested nature, soft power was mainly developed by Joseph S. Nye, the American political scientist, to ensure the idea that USA can realize all its wants through attractiveness rather than coercion or payment. For him, soft power is more rewarding and less costly. It is through soft power that America can realize what the military power failed to achieve. This idea of influencing citizens/nations through persuasion rather than coercion urges some scholars to relate Nye's approach to the third dimension model of power developed by Steven Michael Lukes. Through this dimension, Lukes also discusses the ability to influence individuals' thoughts and make them accept things that they are familiar to be in opposition with. It is the most effective and the most dangerous form of power. Due to the inseparable and interdisciplinary relationship between literature and politics, the aim of this study is to analyze Nye's perspective on soft power and to examine the similarities between his opinions on soft power and Lukes' third dimension of power. The study then applies both approaches to some selected novels from different cultures, including Amricanly by the Egyptian novelist Sunallah Ibrahim, The American Granddaughter by the Iraqi novelist Inaam Kachachi, and Americanah by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie . It is an interdisciplinary literary critical study.