Louwerse, Henriëtte2013-10-302013-10-302008Werkwinkel vol. 3(1), 2008, pp.45-601896-3307http://hdl.handle.net/10593/8023Hafid Bouazza is an influential and celebrated author in the Netherlands today. In the context of contemporary Dutch literature, Bouazza’s Moroccan background still marks a divergence from the born-and-bred Dutch norm. Bouazza both challenges and uses this position to the full. His writing demonstrates that the perceived us-them or self-other oppositions are questionable ideological constructs. He undermines the concept of a unified culture and the wholeness of the self. He explores and exploits stereotypical beliefs held on both sides of the East/West divide. The result is a magical realist setting that both puzzles and enchants. This contribution offers an overview of Bouazza's main thematic concerns in this literary prose to date.cultural identitymigrationstereotypingEast-West oppositionartistic autonomy