Paradise Lost, and Lost Again: Limitations and Realities of Palestinian Identity in Exile, Occupied Palestine and Israel

Abstract

The focus of this research is to examine the literature of Palestinian authors for insight into the meaning of Palestinian national identity. The literature of Ghassan Kanafani, Liyana Badr, Sahar Khalifeh and Emile Habiby represents a wide range of themes that mirror the real-life struggles of many Palestinians. Throughout the novels I examined in this study, modes of Palestinian identity, whether in exile, in occupied Palestine, or in Israel, present different life possibilities and realities, which are limited by location, political situations and social elements. This thesis is an attempt to illuminate the difficulties and challenges that Palestinians have had to face as a result of over 50 years of Israeli occupation, and the resilient and innovative ways in which they have dealt with their reality.