Contested Terrains: Metaphor, Cognition, and Cultural Resistance in Laila Al-Othman’s Al-‘Asas (The Coccyx)

Abstract

The study analyzes the intricate interactions between metaphor, cognition, and cultural critique in Laila Al-Othman's Al-'Asas (The Coccyx) using conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) as its theoretical basis. Through the metaphors "Time is a possession that can be stolen," "Fear is a plow; the heart is a field," and "Silence devoured his face," the study illustrates how Al-Othman transforms abstract experiences into tangible embodied experiences. The analysis yields the intellectual and cultural aspects of such metaphors, conveying the fragility of individual agency against patriarchal pressures within Kuwaiti society. Grounded in Lakoff and Johnson's (2003) embodied cognition theory and Kövecses's (2020) cultural metaphor theory, the study demonstrates how Al-Othman uses irony to subvert structural pressures on women's time, bodies, and affective work. Feminist theory, specifically Fraser's (2016) systemic critique of gender disparities, also sheds light on how the metaphors capture the tension between social expectation and personal freedom. Placed within the larger context of Arabic feminist writing, the research places Al-Othman's novel at the intersection of cognitive poetics and sociocultural critique, providing new insights into metaphors as vehicles for resistance, resilience, and reimagination. The conclusions add to the expanding body of argument concerning metaphor's role in constructing human experience, demonstrating how Al-Othman's work mediates between the political and the personal by negotiating power, embodiment, and cultural processes in complex ways.