Palestinian and Arab-Jewish Cultures: Language, Literature, and Identity

Description

Part of a two-volume set, this volume examines the issues of commitment and hybridization in Arabic literature concentrating on Palestinian literature and Arab-Jewish culture and the interactions between them. Reuvin Snir studies the contribution of Palestinian literature and theatre to Palestinian nation-building, especially since the 1948 Nakba. Becoming an essential part of the vocabulary of Arab intellectuals and writers, since the 1950s commitment (iltizām) has been employed to indicate the necessity for a writer to convey a message rather than merely create an imaginative work for its own sake. As for hybridization, the author focuses on the role Jews have played in Arabic literature against the backdrop of their contribution to this literature since the pre-Islamic period, and in light of the gradual demise of Arab-Jewish culture in recent years. The blending of elements from different cultures is one of the major phenomena in Arabic literature, certainly in light of its relationship with Islam and its cultural heritage, which has been extending during the last one-and-half millennia. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Technical Notes Notes on Transliteration Introduction Part I Occupation, Domination, and Commitment Introduction Chapter 1 Performance: In the Service of the Nation Chapter 2 Commitment: Verse Drama and Resistance Chapter 3 Chronicle: The Ongoing Nakba Chapter 4 Bilingualism: Palestinians in Hebrew Part II Hybridization, Exclusion, and Demise Introduction Chapter 5 Pluralism: Arabs of Mosaic Faith Chapter 6 Spring: “We Were Like Those Who Dream” Spring: “We Were Like Those Who Dream” Chapter 7 Demise: The Last of the Mohicans Chapter 8 Identity: Inessential Solidarities Epilog “Trailed Travellers”: Between Fiction, Meta-Fiction, and History References Index