Abstract
To fight forgetfulness and denial following the trauma of the Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, some Palestinian folklorists have sought to collect, document, analyze, and translate pre-1948 Palestinian folktales. One major example is Speak, Bird, Speak Again (1989), a collection edited by Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana, and its Arabic version, Qul Ya Tayer (2001). I examine folktales from the collections, along with the compilers’ paratextual elements to explore the nature of memory and identity formation. By synthesizing some concepts in memory studies, I discuss the power of the folktale through the narrative of peasantry in recreating memory sites and consolidating Palestinian collective, national, and cultural identity.
Recommended Citation
Aboubakr, Farah. "Peasantry in Palestinian Folktales: Sites of Memory, Homeland, and Collectivity." Marvels & Tales 31.2 (2017). Web. <https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/marvels/vol31/iss2/2>.
