The Problem of Recovering Palestinian and Afro-American Identity: A Contrapuntal Reading of Selected Short Stories by Kanafani and Walker

Abstract

This scholarly research aims to recover Palestinian and Afro-American national identity through a contrapuntal reading of selected short stories by Kanafani (1973) and Walker (1995). The relationship between Eastern and Western human progress is a long record of confrontations, competition and social clashes. Sadly, this relationship between East and West further sinks to the descending side in the new millennium. Echoes are going ahead against the unparalleled issues such as social instability, ethnic clashes, absence of resilience, oppression and infringement of human rights. In this respect, this research reflects on the experiences of natives from both countries by exploring their cultural as well as artistic representations. This study reconsiders the issues like ‘home’, ‘identity’, ‘land’, ‘belonging’ and ‘memory’. It is a contrapuntal study based on the ideas of Said (1993) and Spivak (2014) and Fanon (2001). The purpose is to highlight the notion of struggle for the restoration of social, cultural, political and ideological identity as well as the physical presence of natives in the colonized regions of the world. The focuses is on the significance of resistance for the marginalized community. Kanafani writes from Palestinian perspective of resistance, for the loss of place and other issues concerning oppression, destitution and passion, while Walker raises her voice against disconnection, bias and oppression from the Afro-American perspective. The paper uncovers the persecution, humiliation, suppression, uprooting, marginalization and the impact of imperialism on the lives and mindset of victims. The study concludes that the marginalized in retaliation resist to recover their lost territories and national identity.