The Structures of the Habitus and its Representations in the Colonial Novel «African Summer» by Mohamed Dib as a Case Study

Abstract

This study explores the concept of habitus within colonial narrative discourse, analyzing its representations as a space of tension between two opposing value systems: The fixed and the variable. the fixed reflects inherited cultural and customary authority, producing deeply rooted behavioral patterns. In contrast, the variable arises from revolutionary demands that reshape individual and collective consciousness. These tensions are intestified by colonialism, which imposes an external cultural system that seeks to transform the local habitus through domination and control, aiming to reconstruct identity within a colonial framework. To examine these structures, we employed and anthropological approach to deconstruct cultural symbols and social behaviors in native texts. this methodology led us to ask: how does revolution reshape Identity through the interaction between cultural constants and emerging challenges?. We analyzed Muhammad Dib's short story from an African summer for its nuances portrayals of identity conflict and the disintegration of symbolic structures under colonialism. The inquiry alings with our research question: how does the structure of habitus contribute to the tension between inherited cultural values and colonial norms and to what extent can revolutionary action reshape this habitus and the reengineer identity in a post-colonial context. accordingly we recommend further  interdisciplinary studies on the impact of customary and cultural structure in shaping identity and reconstructing behavioral patterns especially in post-colonial societies constantly negotiating between and indigenous legacy and ideological influences.