Palestinian and Arab-Jewish Cultures

Studies Arabic literary production from the point of view of commitment and hybridization and the interactions between them

Discusses the role of the 1948 Nakba in shaping Palestinian culture and literature
Presents the contribution of Ma?m?d Darw?sh in the process of Palestinian nation-building
Sheds light on the emergence of Palestinian theatrical movement
Provocatively rereads the history of Jewish involvement in Arabic literature
Laments the demise of Arab-Jewish culture following the clash between Zionism and Arab national movement

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 (iltiz?m) 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.