Confused Identities: A Dramatization of Race, Religion and Identity in Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced (2013) and The Invisible Hand (2015)

Document Type : Brief summaries of Dissertations.

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1 English Dept., Faculty of Arts, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt.

2 English Department, Faculty of Languages, Aswan University

Abstract

Ayad Akhtar, in his plays Disgraced (2013) and The Invisible Hand (2015), concerns himself with examining power dynamics between the west and the east. His main aim is to underline the impact of the interaction of Race, Religion and Identity on eastern individuals especially Muslims living in the west showing whether or not the social surveillance they undergo may bring about discipline in societies. The dramatic events of these two plays show how societies and powerful organizations manage to train individuals to behave and think in a certain way in order to achieve discipline according to a certain stereotypical image they claim. The institutions, sects, and organizations that exist in a certain society are expected to contribute to and achieve the targets of a certain power. The events of Disgraced and The Invisible Hand, underline that rejection, negative stereotyping, and targeted surveillance toward Muslims in the western societies do not bring about peace within societies or among individuals. Trying to tame individuals by passing specific laws to guarantee that they would behave in a certain way does not lead to discipline or more security. Instead, this results in anarchy, increases rage, and hatred between the west and the east; or rather between Muslims and western nations.

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