‬‏Ambiguous Belonging and the Representation of the Feminine Self in a Colonial Context in Slim Betka’s Isabelle

This study sheds light on the problematic nature of ambiguous belonging and the representation of the feminine self in Isabelle by Salim Bouteqa. The protagonist is placed in a complex existential situation within a colonial space that reshapes both individual and collective identity. The novel reveals the character’s fragmentation between two conflicting affiliations, rendering the feminine self a wavering entity caught between assimilation and rejection. Within this context, the female body becomes a symbolic battlefield where cultural and political dimensions intersect. Belonging is thus portrayed not as a free choice but as a coercive burden imposed upon the self. Through a charged discourse, the novel grants the woman a position that transcends subordination, establishing a feminist voice that resists the erasure of the self in the colonial era. Accordingly, this research seeks to analyze the processes through which the feminine self is constructed within the colonial context and to trace the representations of identity-related belonging.