RESISTANCE AND RECLAIMING IDENTITY: READING RUQAYA IZZIDIEN’S WATERMELON BOYS IN THE CONTEXT OF INDIGENOUS ECOCRITICISM

Abstract

The current study aims at investigating the importance of traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, and spiritual connections with land in a contemporary Iraqi novel, Watermelon Boys by Ruqaya Izzidien, through the lens of indigenous ecocriticism theory. Indigenous Ecocriticism emphasizes the role of tradition, heritage, and ecological knowledge in reclaiming the voices and the land of indigenous and marginalized communities. This study adapts a qualitative approach to study the impact of colonialism and extractive industries on land, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge of the indigenous Iraqi peoples. By foregrounding Indigenous ecocritical perspectives, the analysis reveals how Izzidien’s narrative challenges dominant colonial histories and ecological exploitations by centering the voices and lived experiences of Iraqi characters navigating displacement, war, and cultural erasure. The novel’s depiction of the land—both as a site of conflict and a symbol of rootedness—serves as a powerful medium for reclaiming Indigenous identity and resisting imperial ecological domination. This study argues that Watermelon Boys not only critiques environmental and cultural colonization but also offers a vision of healing and autonomy through the restoration of Indigenous relationships with place, memory, and community. Watermelon Boys portrays the impact of colonization on indigenous Iraqi people and how they adhere to their heritage, land, and traditional knowledge that was passed to them from their ancestors in order to preserve their identity and resist the Ottoman Empire and British colonization. Ultimately, the study articulates the vital role of adhering to heritage, tradition, and land in confronting colonial legacies, and reclaim their homeland and cultural identity.