Confrontation of cultural particularism and globalization in Algerian novel: A patternoriented reading of “Rih El- Janub” novel

Cultural globalization is one of the important phenomena of the contemporary age that has affected Algerian novelists since the 70s. To deal with the cultural changes, the authors in this country have adopted cultural particularism in their works. However, it is notable that the novelists of the 70s have tried to adapt to changes and keep up with modern changes despite their efforts to practice cultural particularism. This trend has led to a typical duality and contrast in some of these novels. “Rih El- Janub novel” by Abdul Hamid Bin Haduqa is an outstanding example of such works. Using the hidden cultural patterns theory of Abdullah Ghadhami and through a descriptive-analytical method, the confrontation of cultural particularism and globalization in Rih El- Janub was examined. The results indicated that the author's dual approach to cultural particularism on the one hand and his tendency to remain flexible and open to changes in his society resulted in a confrontation or conflict of cultural patterns in Rih El- Janub. The main areas of confrontations were on topics religion, place, life style, customs, and social norms. Consequently, the characters demonstrate traits like isolation, seclusion, alienation, cultural alienation, dispersion, and identity crisis. The findings also showed that the pattern of confrontation between cultural particularism and globalization in the Rih El- Janub novel was stronger about the issues of women. This can be attributed to the promotion of concepts and values related to women's rights by cultural globalization and marginalized women's struggle to claim their rights in the novel. On the other hand, there is the male dominance’s stiff support for the negative values and concepts of cultural particularism such as prejudice, zeal, honor, and reputation, and hegemony.