ASIA 89: Imagining Palestine

This course explores the idea of Palestine as it is presented in Palestinian writings, films, and other creative works. We will study what Palestine is for the Palestinians, none of whom have lived in a Palestinian state and many of whom have spent more time in exile than in the land that has been known historically as Palestine; how Palestinian relationships to and expectations of Palestine may have changed over time; and how Palestinian portrayals of their dreamed-of homeland have affected our own perceptions of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Arab world generally. How have Palestinian art, film, and literature helped to shape Palestinian identities and aspirations in different ways over the course of modern Palestinian history? In what ways have art, film, and literature intersected with Palestinian politics and a sense of political and personal agency?