Self-Fragmentation and Splitting in Badriya Al-Badri''''''''''''''''s Novel "The Last Crossing" (A Cultural Study)

This research, entitled Self-Fragmentation and Splitting in Badriya Al-Badri’s Novel “The Last Crossing” (A Cultural Study), examines the complex phenomenon of psychological and cultural self-division as reflected in Al-Badri’s narrative. The study focuses on how trauma, social pressure, memory, and cultural hegemony contribute to the disintegration of identity and the loss of personal cohesion in contemporary Arabic fiction. Self-fragmentation, as a literary and psychological concept, denotes a deep internal division in which conflicting elements of the self engage in continuous struggle, resulting in alienation and emotional instability. The novel The Last Crossing presents this condition through the experiences of its main character, Mukhtar, whose psychological and social crises embody the tension between individuality and external constraint in a postcolonial Arab context.
The study begins with an introduction that situates the topic within the broader field of cultural and psychological criticism. In an era of rapid social transformation and political turbulence, identity no longer appears as a stable or unified entity. Literature-especially the modern Arabic novel-becomes a medium through which the fractured self and its internal conflicts are expressed. Within this framework, Al-Badri’s novel provides a fertile ground for analyzing the fragmentation of the self under pressure from both internal and external forces. The research aims to explore the various manifestations of self-fragmentation and to interpret them as cultural signs of human and social crises.
The main research questions addressed are:

What are the key manifestations of self-fragmentation and identity splitting in The Last Crossing?
How does the tension between past and present express the divided condition of the characters in the novel?

In the background of the study, the researcher reviews previous works on identity fragmentation in modern Arabic novels, such as studies by Jassim Ismail, Talal Al-Thaqafi, Hania Mashqooq, and others. These earlier studies mostly focused on psychological or structural aspects of fragmentation. The novelty of this research lies in its cultural approach, which analyzes self-fragmentation as a result of overlapping forces-psychological, social, and ideological-and examines a contemporary Omani text that had not yet been critically analyzed in this way.
Methodologically, the study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, combining textual analysis with theoretical perspectives from psychoanalysis (particularly Freud’s tripartite model of the psyche) and cultural criticism (drawing from Gramsci’s concept of hegemony). This approach allows the research to interpret the fragmentation of characters not merely as personal weakness, but as a reflection of cultural conflict and social dominance.
The findings reveal five major dimensions of self-fragmentation in the novel:

Dualities and internal conflict, where the protagonist oscillates between obedience and rebellion, belonging and alienation, freedom and constraint.


Identity conflict, manifested in the tension between inherited cultural values and individual authenticity, especially within patriarchal and traditional definitions of masculinity.
Social pressure, which transforms labor and survival into mechanisms of dehumanization and alienation, particularly in the context of migrant labor and class exploitation.
Memory and trauma, where childhood wounds, punishment, and loss persist as active psychological forces shaping adult consciousness and perpetuating pain.
Cultural hegemony, which imposes dominant ideologies that silence the individual’s voice, linking personal suffering to broader systems of political and cultural domination, such as colonialism and social control.

Through these elements, Al-Badri’s The Last Crossing transcends the boundaries of a simple narrative about exile and marginalization. It becomes a profound psychocultural exploration of how individuals are internally fragmented by social hierarchies, historical trauma, and cultural constraints. The novel’s depiction of characters such as Mukhtar, Abdullah, and other marginalized figures reflects the collective condition of displacement and inner rupture faced by Arab individuals in modern times.
In conclusion, the study demonstrates that Al-Badri’s narrative presents a multidimensional portrait of the divided self-caught between memory and present, emotion and suppression, individuality and conformity. The novel not only exposes the disintegration of identity but also hints at the possibility of reconstruction through awareness, empathy, and resistance to cultural domination. By merging psychological depth with social critique, The Last Crossing stands as a significant contribution to modern Arabic fiction, offering a mirror to the crises of the contemporary Arab self.