Palestinian (Non)Fictions and Films

Catalog description

This course offers a multidisciplinary introduction to Palestinian prose and film through a selection of canonical and contemporary works, focusing on questions of exile and diaspora, social critique, and the politics of death. We will engage closely with major sociopolitical struggles Palestinians have faced since the 1948 Nakba—whether as internally displaced in historic Palestine, as “citizens” of Israel, or as refugees in the shatāt—and examine how their relationship to collective memory and identity is reflected in narrative and visual form. Students will also explore questions of refugeehood and (potential) return, and attend to issues of narrative rupture, fragmentation, dispossession, and bilingualism. While familiarity with Palestinian culture and history would be beneficial, it is not required. Primary and secondary readings are in English, and students are welcome to read texts in the original Arabic if they wish. No required prerequisites.