The Search for Home: Conflict and Connection in the Narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This thesis represents the continuation of a developing area of study within memory and literary studies, that of the exploration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Focusing specifically on the nuances of the relationship between contemporary Palestinian suffering and historical Jewish suffering, this thesis looks at the complexity of applying Holocaust-centric approaches in memory studies to Palestine, the absence of representations of Palestinian suffering within such approaches, the cultural, social, and political barriers to Israeli-Palestinian unity, and the political reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Throughout the thesis I engage with a variety of source materials, offering close readings of fictional texts by both Palestinian and Israeli authors, whilst also engaging critically with works of nonfiction in the areas of cultural memory and literary studies. I also analyse less conventional sources, such as news articles and political journalism, in order to offer analysis of the developments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as they have happened. Through bringing all of these texts together, I not only draw attention to the lacuna within cultural memory and literary studies specifically, but also work towards filling this gap.

Whilst existing research on Palestine in the areas of cultural memory and literary studies is often linked back to the suffering experienced by Jewish people under Nazi rule in the mid-twentieth century, this thesis attempts not only to highlight potential issues with such associations, but to reframe such associations as less essential to explorations of Palestinian suffering. Through delving into literary representations of the Palestinian experience, cultural analyses of life in Israel, and political insights into both the conflict and the peace process, this thesis attempts to represent the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a way that is inclusive and sensitive to the histories of both people, whilst at the same time prioritising the more urgent representation of Palestinian experience. In doing so, this thesis offers a more holistic vision and understanding of the conflict than that which is offered in other cultural memory studies and literary approaches, as well as those confined entirely to the realms of history or politics.