Uncanny parallels
Exile, pandemic, and the Palestinian experience
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2176453 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ahmad Qabaha (0000-0001-7378-0683, An-Najah National University, corresponding author), Bilal Hamamra (0000-0003-4375-0293, An-Najah National University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 34-46 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal for Cultural Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1479-7585 • E-ISSN: 1740-1666 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14797585.2023.2283696 |
| OpenAlex | W4388763075 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Inspired by Said's concept of exile, Camus' 1947 novel The Plague, and testimonies from our students, this paper explores the striking similarities between experiences of exile and the COVID-19 pandemic. Both exile and the pandemic are seen as intrusive forces causing rupture and discontinuity in one's life at the physical, psychological and socio-cultural levels. This paper demonstrates that for many Palestinians – including us and our students – the pandemic manifests what Freud termed 'repetition compulsion'. That is, many of our students interpret the detrimental and precarious impact of the pandemic as a complex form of exile, a nuanced understanding that blends a historical, communal memory of displacement with a present, universal crisis. This paper further explains that the themes of exile and displacement in Camus' The Plague provide us and our students with a focal point to examine the striking, albeit anachronistic, similarities between the pandemic caused by Israeli occupation and the COVID-19 virus. This uncanny relationship between the pandemic and exile is further substantiated by the fact that the pandemic has provided cover, or at least distraction, for the escalation of oppressive political actions, thus deepening the entrenchment of a physical and psychological 'exile' for Palestinians
Aesthetics · Art · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Epistemology · Pandemic · Parallels · Sociology · Uncanny · Engineering · Global Security and Public Health · History · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Philosophy
Routes
Psychological Health and Physical Activity Levels during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Domestic Violence in Palestine during the Outbreak of Covid-19
Exile and Expatriation in Modern American and Palestinian Writing
‘Can the subaltern speak?’
Health system’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic in conflict settings
You are only as healthy as your neighbour”
Contagious
Culture and Imperialism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |