Critique and Analysis of “al-Zayani Barakat” Novel from Perspective of Educational Sociology

Abstract

The Sociological critique is one of the most widely used types of criticism that has gradually entered other fields of science, including sociology of education. This article seeks to examine and analyze the novel by an Egyptian author to show how the components of power are reproduced through social systems such as educational system and in societies such as those in the Middle East. The purpose of this article is to analyze content of Jamal al-Ghitani's novel "al-Zayani Barakat" according to Michel Foucault's sociological theory in a socio-educational field. The research findings confirm Foucault's theory of power-knowledge relationship in text of this literary work. Another finding suggests that content analysis of a novel can provide strong support for explaining role of organization such as education system in maintaining power structure. The present critique provides a new framework for analyzing views of thinkers in the field of educational sociology in other fields of knowledge. The paper concludes with a brief summary that texts that seem to address private issues can shed light on sociological dimensions of educational system.