Bilal Hamamra | An-Najah National University (original) (raw)
Papers by Bilal Hamamra
Letter from Palestine: Resistance through Storytelling in Refaat Al-Areer's "If I Must Die"
The Translator's (In)visibility in Julio Cortázar's "Letter to a Young Lady in Paris"
This article examines the factors contributing to the suppression of free speech in Palestine, wi... more This article examines the factors contributing to the suppression of free speech in Palestine, with a focus on the West Bank. We argue that anti-democratic politics and restricted public discourse in both public and academic spheres are mutually reinforced by the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority. Despite education’s potential as a tool of liberation, the ongoing cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as internal factional conflict, impede free speech within Palestine. Traditional teaching methods based on rote learning continue to dominate, posing a significant challenge to critical thinking and expression. Although education may serve as a pathway to freedom, constraints transform it into a tool for subjugation. Drawing on Foucault’s adaptation of the ancient Greek concept of parrhesia, we argue that Palestinian universities require more robust protections for free speech. At the same time, we argue that the struggle for free speech in these universities can be instructive to liberal democracies. Through analysis of the atrocities perpetrated against journalists and other dissenting voices, we shed light on the obstacles to democracy in Palestinian intellectual life.
This study examines the relationship between critical thinking and grades at the tertiary level, ... more This study examines the relationship between critical thinking and grades at the tertiary level, focusing on their social, political, and ethical implications. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study combines survey data collection with indepth interviews to generate comprehensive insights into the complex relationship between critical thinking and grades. The survey targets 173 faculty members, while the interviews focus on seven selected academic staff members from Palestinian universities, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the research objectives. Results showed that grades often hinder critical thinking skills and creativity, leading to rote memorization and limited creativity. The study also highlights the political implications of grades, as standardized testing influences education policies and curriculum decisions. Faculty members expressed criticism of the prioritization of grades, citing conventional evaluation methods, temporal limitations, and resource constraints. As critical thinking is crucial for comprehensive student development, contributing to problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, innovation, effective communication, and active citizenship, the study proposes diverse approaches to strike a balance between valuing grades and nurturing critical thinking abilities. By fostering critical thinking abilities, Palestinian students can enhance their preparedness for academic pursuits, personal growth, and societal contributions.
This article, drawing on essays written by students with the assistance of ChatGPT and interviews... more This article, drawing on essays written by students with the assistance of ChatGPT and interviews with some students who used this learning machine, highlights a shift in the educational landscape brought about by this technology. In broader terms, Palestinian universities follow the traditional methods of teaching based on memorization and rote learning. These conventional teaching strategies are in stark contrast to the manner in which students engage with topics when utilizing ChatGPT. However, the use of ChatGPT has led to a noticeable declining participation in classes, increased absences, and a diminished enthusiasm for examinations—a stark departure from the value they previously placed on them. These patterns suggest that the introduction of ChatGPT is shaping a paradigm shift in education, leading us to question and reevaluate the efficacy and relevance of traditional teaching methods in today’s digitized world and the importance of different means of teaching and evaluation rather than essay writing.
Tourism in Palestine functions as a potent instrument of political resistance, serving to counter... more Tourism in Palestine functions as a potent instrument of political resistance, serving to counter the dominant narratives imposed by the Israeli occupation and to reinforce Palestinian claims to self-determination and sovereignty. Through deliberate engagement with cultural and historical sites, we contend that tourists become active participants in a form of resistance that celebrates and preserves Palestinian identity. We maintain that each act of cultural consumption – be it visiting a historical landmark, participating in traditional storytelling, or purchasing local handicrafts – serves not just as an economic transaction but as a political gesture that asserts Palestinian narratives and resists cultural erasure. We further argue that the global spread of Palestinian cultural tourism, facilitated by the diaspora, functions as a strategic form of international advocacy that situates the Palestinian struggle within a broader context of global awareness and solidarity. Palestinian tourism is a vital channel through which the political reality of Palestinian life is communicated and understood, forming an essential component of the broader campaign for Palestinian rights and recognition on the world stage.
Drawing on Levinasian concepts of sleep, insomnia, and the il y a, this paper examines the limina... more Drawing on Levinasian concepts of sleep, insomnia, and the il y a, this paper examines the liminal states of insomnia and sleep within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Sleep and insomnia, being proximates of death as well as displacement and anonymous existence successively, are topics that have not, to the best of our knowledge, received any critical commentary within (post)colonial studies. This
Drawing on Venuti's foreignization and domestication and Derrida's concepts of iteration, supplem... more Drawing on Venuti's foreignization and domestication and Derrida's concepts of iteration, supplementarity, différance and ghostliness, this article suggests that Khalil Mutran's and Jabra Jabra's translations are not duplications of Shakespeare's Hamlet but they appear as apparitions of an apparition. This study adopts a descriptive analytical approach that presents the collected data from Shakespeare's Hamlet (1992), Jabra's translation (1979) and Mutran's (2012), respectively. Through the analysis of the chosen examples, we contend that intertextuality, translation and ghosts are deconstructive of temporality, ontology and meaning as they entail 'repetition' and 'différance' .
In the Qurʾan, the sense of hearing and its agent the ear are both linked to the heart whereas si... more In the Qurʾan, the sense of hearing and its agent the ear are both linked to the heart whereas sight and its organ the eye are associated with the head. The sense of hearing, which is a channel to spiritual knowledge, is privileged to the sense of sight, the gateway to the realm of carnal knowledge. The ear and the heart are channels to the sphere of absence while the eye and the head are associated with the realm of presence. Knowledge of the world of absence is twofold: The first incarnates in the type of knowledge obtained from God and his angels and the other is that which is acquired from Satan and Jinn. The primacy of the ear over the eye is further substantiated by the Qurʾanic repudiation of the charges that the origin of the Prophet Muhammad's words is fables breathed into his ears from the underworld of absence.
Drawing on clinical psychology, psychosexual development and gender studies, this article examine... more Drawing on clinical psychology, psychosexual development and gender studies, this article examines the mother-daughter dysfunctional co-dependent dyad and eating disorders in McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died, a memoir that McCurdy published 10 years after the death of her mother. With a focus on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, this article scrutinizes the control-based mother-daughter relationship between Jennette and her mother Debra. This paper closely studies the internalized overbearing (m)other figure in McCurdy’s memoir in relation to McCurdy’s internalized anorexic voice in light of the dysfunctional co-dependent mother-daughter relationship. This ambivalent mother-daughter relationship is illuminated through inappropriate caretaking, manipulation, parentification, projection and intrusiveness, which are effects of co-dependency. Laced with shame and economic guilt, this enmeshed mother-daughter relationship shapes McCurdy’s memoir-pathography. Paradoxically, we contend that the loss of this ambivalent mother-daughter relationship is what triggers McCurdy to start her journey of self dis(re)covery through the writing of her memoir, thus reclaiming her subjective identity and agency.
this article argues that Jabra ibrahim Jabra's In Search of Walid Masoud parallels shakespeare's ... more this article argues that Jabra ibrahim Jabra's In Search of Walid Masoud parallels shakespeare's Hamlet by exploring various themes and motifs such as the ghost, the gravedigger, Ophelia's suicide, adultery, chastity, and madness. through these themes and motifs, Jabra weaves a narrative that simultaneously recalls and reinvents shakespeare's classic play in a contemporary, politically-charged context. this article shows that Jabra utilizes Hamlet as a pivotal reference to represent the main concerns of his Palestinian people from a new and distinctive literary perspective. this is explicit in Jabra's representation of revenge, in particular. in Hamlet, shakespeare explores the theme of a son's revenge for his father. Jabra, on the other hand, structures In Search of Walid Masoud around the revenge of a father for his son, which makes the revenge at the heart of the novel not personal but rather collective (the father's revenge for his motherland/Palestine). this demonstrates Jabra's proclivity to render the national plight of Palestinian people global and permit the Palestinian struggle to be perceived on a larger scale.
This article examines Mourid Barghouti's appropriation of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1603) in his memo... more This article examines Mourid Barghouti's appropriation of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1603) in his memoir I Saw Ramallah published originally in Arabic in 1997 and translated into English in 2000. The memoir documents his temporary return to Palestine after 30 years of exile and his criticism of the delusional life of Palestinians post Oslo accords which, as he argues, undermined the rights of Palestinians for autonomy, sovereignty and self-determination. Barghouti associates post-Oslo Palestinians with the fictional figure of Hamlet who is unpacking his heart with words rather than taking action against Claudius. According to Barghouti, Hamlet's merry jests and laughter have striking similarities with many post-Oslo Palestinians who romanticize their injuries, turning their defeat into victory and their tragedy into comedy. Furthermore, Barghouti associates his feeling of displacement and internal exile with that of Hamlet who is displaced in his homeland, Denmark. Both Hamlet and Barghouti retreat behind the wall of silence and turn their exile and displacement into a subjective space of creativity and critical consciousness. We argue that Barghouti writes the Palestinian present through the classic, and we illustrate that Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah has rendered the personal and national larger and global, permitting the specific and multifarious Palestinian oppression to be understood on grander scales. Thus, I Saw Ramallah suggests broad ethical messages, gerneralizing the Palestinian struggle to the level of significant moral questions of oppression, injustice and valor.
In recent years, dozens of families in Palestine have publicly disowned male relatives who have t... more In recent years, dozens of families in Palestine have publicly disowned male relatives who have transgressed social or sexual norms in some way. In this article, we contend that such acts of disowning are, for Palestinian families, a means of protection from public shaming. We contrast the discourse of disowning transgressive males with the ‘honour killing’ of transgressive females. Disownment is almost never an option for female relatives who commit similar transgressions. By severing contact with male relatives who have violated hegemonic ideals of loyalty to one’s nation, self-control, and sacrifice, families can deflect accusations of complicity. The hegemony of these ideals is maintained by punishing those who ally themselves with the Israeli occupation, are homosexuals, or are seen as ‘transgressive’ women. The article demonstrates that familial relations can be regarded as discontinuous: biological ties can be severed both linguistically and physically. The discourse of disowning, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been scrutinised in contemporary Palestine will be analysed within the interrelated webs of traditions, religion, and politics.
Journal of Gender Studies
This paper, which engages with the critical lines of feminism and sociolinguistics and employs in... more This paper, which engages with the critical lines of feminism and sociolinguistics and employs interviews as its central methodology, introduces readers to the ways Palestinian proverbs reinforce a contemporary Palestinian ideology of gender difference based on subjugating women to men’s authority. The paper analyses Palestinian proverbs about women alongside contemporary Palestinian practices including: arranged marriage; objectifying women in the marriage market; the silencing of women’s voices and honour killing. It is argued here that the Israeli occupation perpetuates the production and consumption of the masculine construction of gender roles as a marker of difference and adherence to familial and national belonging. Feminist views of gender equality espoused by feminist activists, NGO personnel and younger generations are taken to signify immoral symbols of imperial and Western cultures, incompatible with national and religious discourse.
Letter from Palestine: Resistance through Storytelling in Refaat Al-Areer's "If I Must Die"
The Translator's (In)visibility in Julio Cortázar's "Letter to a Young Lady in Paris"
This article examines the factors contributing to the suppression of free speech in Palestine, wi... more This article examines the factors contributing to the suppression of free speech in Palestine, with a focus on the West Bank. We argue that anti-democratic politics and restricted public discourse in both public and academic spheres are mutually reinforced by the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority. Despite education’s potential as a tool of liberation, the ongoing cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as internal factional conflict, impede free speech within Palestine. Traditional teaching methods based on rote learning continue to dominate, posing a significant challenge to critical thinking and expression. Although education may serve as a pathway to freedom, constraints transform it into a tool for subjugation. Drawing on Foucault’s adaptation of the ancient Greek concept of parrhesia, we argue that Palestinian universities require more robust protections for free speech. At the same time, we argue that the struggle for free speech in these universities can be instructive to liberal democracies. Through analysis of the atrocities perpetrated against journalists and other dissenting voices, we shed light on the obstacles to democracy in Palestinian intellectual life.
This study examines the relationship between critical thinking and grades at the tertiary level, ... more This study examines the relationship between critical thinking and grades at the tertiary level, focusing on their social, political, and ethical implications. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study combines survey data collection with indepth interviews to generate comprehensive insights into the complex relationship between critical thinking and grades. The survey targets 173 faculty members, while the interviews focus on seven selected academic staff members from Palestinian universities, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the research objectives. Results showed that grades often hinder critical thinking skills and creativity, leading to rote memorization and limited creativity. The study also highlights the political implications of grades, as standardized testing influences education policies and curriculum decisions. Faculty members expressed criticism of the prioritization of grades, citing conventional evaluation methods, temporal limitations, and resource constraints. As critical thinking is crucial for comprehensive student development, contributing to problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, innovation, effective communication, and active citizenship, the study proposes diverse approaches to strike a balance between valuing grades and nurturing critical thinking abilities. By fostering critical thinking abilities, Palestinian students can enhance their preparedness for academic pursuits, personal growth, and societal contributions.
This article, drawing on essays written by students with the assistance of ChatGPT and interviews... more This article, drawing on essays written by students with the assistance of ChatGPT and interviews with some students who used this learning machine, highlights a shift in the educational landscape brought about by this technology. In broader terms, Palestinian universities follow the traditional methods of teaching based on memorization and rote learning. These conventional teaching strategies are in stark contrast to the manner in which students engage with topics when utilizing ChatGPT. However, the use of ChatGPT has led to a noticeable declining participation in classes, increased absences, and a diminished enthusiasm for examinations—a stark departure from the value they previously placed on them. These patterns suggest that the introduction of ChatGPT is shaping a paradigm shift in education, leading us to question and reevaluate the efficacy and relevance of traditional teaching methods in today’s digitized world and the importance of different means of teaching and evaluation rather than essay writing.
Tourism in Palestine functions as a potent instrument of political resistance, serving to counter... more Tourism in Palestine functions as a potent instrument of political resistance, serving to counter the dominant narratives imposed by the Israeli occupation and to reinforce Palestinian claims to self-determination and sovereignty. Through deliberate engagement with cultural and historical sites, we contend that tourists become active participants in a form of resistance that celebrates and preserves Palestinian identity. We maintain that each act of cultural consumption – be it visiting a historical landmark, participating in traditional storytelling, or purchasing local handicrafts – serves not just as an economic transaction but as a political gesture that asserts Palestinian narratives and resists cultural erasure. We further argue that the global spread of Palestinian cultural tourism, facilitated by the diaspora, functions as a strategic form of international advocacy that situates the Palestinian struggle within a broader context of global awareness and solidarity. Palestinian tourism is a vital channel through which the political reality of Palestinian life is communicated and understood, forming an essential component of the broader campaign for Palestinian rights and recognition on the world stage.
Drawing on Levinasian concepts of sleep, insomnia, and the il y a, this paper examines the limina... more Drawing on Levinasian concepts of sleep, insomnia, and the il y a, this paper examines the liminal states of insomnia and sleep within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Sleep and insomnia, being proximates of death as well as displacement and anonymous existence successively, are topics that have not, to the best of our knowledge, received any critical commentary within (post)colonial studies. This
Drawing on Venuti's foreignization and domestication and Derrida's concepts of iteration, supplem... more Drawing on Venuti's foreignization and domestication and Derrida's concepts of iteration, supplementarity, différance and ghostliness, this article suggests that Khalil Mutran's and Jabra Jabra's translations are not duplications of Shakespeare's Hamlet but they appear as apparitions of an apparition. This study adopts a descriptive analytical approach that presents the collected data from Shakespeare's Hamlet (1992), Jabra's translation (1979) and Mutran's (2012), respectively. Through the analysis of the chosen examples, we contend that intertextuality, translation and ghosts are deconstructive of temporality, ontology and meaning as they entail 'repetition' and 'différance' .
In the Qurʾan, the sense of hearing and its agent the ear are both linked to the heart whereas si... more In the Qurʾan, the sense of hearing and its agent the ear are both linked to the heart whereas sight and its organ the eye are associated with the head. The sense of hearing, which is a channel to spiritual knowledge, is privileged to the sense of sight, the gateway to the realm of carnal knowledge. The ear and the heart are channels to the sphere of absence while the eye and the head are associated with the realm of presence. Knowledge of the world of absence is twofold: The first incarnates in the type of knowledge obtained from God and his angels and the other is that which is acquired from Satan and Jinn. The primacy of the ear over the eye is further substantiated by the Qurʾanic repudiation of the charges that the origin of the Prophet Muhammad's words is fables breathed into his ears from the underworld of absence.
Drawing on clinical psychology, psychosexual development and gender studies, this article examine... more Drawing on clinical psychology, psychosexual development and gender studies, this article examines the mother-daughter dysfunctional co-dependent dyad and eating disorders in McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died, a memoir that McCurdy published 10 years after the death of her mother. With a focus on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, this article scrutinizes the control-based mother-daughter relationship between Jennette and her mother Debra. This paper closely studies the internalized overbearing (m)other figure in McCurdy’s memoir in relation to McCurdy’s internalized anorexic voice in light of the dysfunctional co-dependent mother-daughter relationship. This ambivalent mother-daughter relationship is illuminated through inappropriate caretaking, manipulation, parentification, projection and intrusiveness, which are effects of co-dependency. Laced with shame and economic guilt, this enmeshed mother-daughter relationship shapes McCurdy’s memoir-pathography. Paradoxically, we contend that the loss of this ambivalent mother-daughter relationship is what triggers McCurdy to start her journey of self dis(re)covery through the writing of her memoir, thus reclaiming her subjective identity and agency.
this article argues that Jabra ibrahim Jabra's In Search of Walid Masoud parallels shakespeare's ... more this article argues that Jabra ibrahim Jabra's In Search of Walid Masoud parallels shakespeare's Hamlet by exploring various themes and motifs such as the ghost, the gravedigger, Ophelia's suicide, adultery, chastity, and madness. through these themes and motifs, Jabra weaves a narrative that simultaneously recalls and reinvents shakespeare's classic play in a contemporary, politically-charged context. this article shows that Jabra utilizes Hamlet as a pivotal reference to represent the main concerns of his Palestinian people from a new and distinctive literary perspective. this is explicit in Jabra's representation of revenge, in particular. in Hamlet, shakespeare explores the theme of a son's revenge for his father. Jabra, on the other hand, structures In Search of Walid Masoud around the revenge of a father for his son, which makes the revenge at the heart of the novel not personal but rather collective (the father's revenge for his motherland/Palestine). this demonstrates Jabra's proclivity to render the national plight of Palestinian people global and permit the Palestinian struggle to be perceived on a larger scale.
This article examines Mourid Barghouti's appropriation of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1603) in his memo... more This article examines Mourid Barghouti's appropriation of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1603) in his memoir I Saw Ramallah published originally in Arabic in 1997 and translated into English in 2000. The memoir documents his temporary return to Palestine after 30 years of exile and his criticism of the delusional life of Palestinians post Oslo accords which, as he argues, undermined the rights of Palestinians for autonomy, sovereignty and self-determination. Barghouti associates post-Oslo Palestinians with the fictional figure of Hamlet who is unpacking his heart with words rather than taking action against Claudius. According to Barghouti, Hamlet's merry jests and laughter have striking similarities with many post-Oslo Palestinians who romanticize their injuries, turning their defeat into victory and their tragedy into comedy. Furthermore, Barghouti associates his feeling of displacement and internal exile with that of Hamlet who is displaced in his homeland, Denmark. Both Hamlet and Barghouti retreat behind the wall of silence and turn their exile and displacement into a subjective space of creativity and critical consciousness. We argue that Barghouti writes the Palestinian present through the classic, and we illustrate that Barghouti's I Saw Ramallah has rendered the personal and national larger and global, permitting the specific and multifarious Palestinian oppression to be understood on grander scales. Thus, I Saw Ramallah suggests broad ethical messages, gerneralizing the Palestinian struggle to the level of significant moral questions of oppression, injustice and valor.
In recent years, dozens of families in Palestine have publicly disowned male relatives who have t... more In recent years, dozens of families in Palestine have publicly disowned male relatives who have transgressed social or sexual norms in some way. In this article, we contend that such acts of disowning are, for Palestinian families, a means of protection from public shaming. We contrast the discourse of disowning transgressive males with the ‘honour killing’ of transgressive females. Disownment is almost never an option for female relatives who commit similar transgressions. By severing contact with male relatives who have violated hegemonic ideals of loyalty to one’s nation, self-control, and sacrifice, families can deflect accusations of complicity. The hegemony of these ideals is maintained by punishing those who ally themselves with the Israeli occupation, are homosexuals, or are seen as ‘transgressive’ women. The article demonstrates that familial relations can be regarded as discontinuous: biological ties can be severed both linguistically and physically. The discourse of disowning, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been scrutinised in contemporary Palestine will be analysed within the interrelated webs of traditions, religion, and politics.
Journal of Gender Studies
This paper, which engages with the critical lines of feminism and sociolinguistics and employs in... more This paper, which engages with the critical lines of feminism and sociolinguistics and employs interviews as its central methodology, introduces readers to the ways Palestinian proverbs reinforce a contemporary Palestinian ideology of gender difference based on subjugating women to men’s authority. The paper analyses Palestinian proverbs about women alongside contemporary Palestinian practices including: arranged marriage; objectifying women in the marriage market; the silencing of women’s voices and honour killing. It is argued here that the Israeli occupation perpetuates the production and consumption of the masculine construction of gender roles as a marker of difference and adherence to familial and national belonging. Feminist views of gender equality espoused by feminist activists, NGO personnel and younger generations are taken to signify immoral symbols of imperial and Western cultures, incompatible with national and religious discourse.