Palestinian security perspective: A literary analysis

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2015

Öğrenci: BİRCE BEŞGÜL

Danışman: TUBA ÜNLÜ BİLGİÇ

Özet:

This thesis aims to demonstrate how West Bank originated writers’ security perspectives are affected by Palestinian societal identity. In doing so, Suad Amiry’s Sharon and My Mother in Law and Nothing to Lose but Your Life and Raja Shehadeh’s Strangers in the House and Palestinian Walks novels are analyzed by using literary texture analysis. Israel’s societal security dilemma and social identity theories are used for theoretical explanations. It is claimed that due to the Israel’s societal security dilemma, Palestinians have been struggling with historically rooted traumas and limitations such as environmental problems and economic hardships. These historically rooted traumas, experiences and limitations affect Palestinian societal identity since they are repeated for years and create social identity factors in Palestinian society. Social identity factors are categorized under three headings: Historical experiences, acceptance of Israelis as others and labelling Israeli soldier and police as cruel. The novels are analyzed in accordance with these factors to understand the impact of Palestinian societal identity on writers’ security perspectives. The comparison of writers’ security perspectives demonstrate that both Raja Shehadeh and Suad Amirys’ security perspectives are affected by their societal identities since their novels include examples closely related to the chosen social identity factors.