he Historical Tendency in *The Last Exile of Ibn Zuraik Al-Baghdadi*by Salam Aboud: A Study in the Light of Cultural Criticism

Abstract

This study demonstrates that the historical tendency in *The Last Exile of Ibn Zuraik Al-Baghdadi* is not merely an aesthetic narrative choice, but a critical cultural project that seeks to re-examine history through a contemporary lens. Salam Aboud employs the past not as a distant memory, but as a dynamic framework that interacts with the present and reveals its hidden contradictions. By reimagining the figure of Ibn Zuraik, the novel highlights the continuous struggle of the marginalized intellectual who faces political and social fragmentation across different eras.

The narrative techniques, symbolic structures, and dialogic interactions within the text expose the underlying cultural systems that shape collective identity and authority. Thus, history in this novel is transformed into a space of questioning and reinterpretation, where the boundaries between the past and the present become fluid and interconnected. This approach aligns with the principles of cultural criticism, which emphasize the role of literature in uncovering and challenging dominant ideological discourses.

Ultimately, the novel does not simply revisit historical events, but reconstructs them to highlight the continuity of human suffering, exile, and the search for belonging. In doing so, Aboud reclaims history from the domain of official narratives and restores the voice of the marginalized individual. Therefore, the historical tendency in this novel becomes a means of cultural awareness, self-reflection, and resistance against the mechanisms of power.