29. The Language of Womanhood, America, and Palestine
Nebel, Grey
Palestine has become increasingly prominent in world news, social media, and eve day-to-day discussion. What all of this coverage lacks, however, is the voice of Palestinians themselves. With few notable exceptions — such as sibling duo Mohammed and Muna el-Kurd — much of the discourse surrounding the nation and its people is led by Westerners with minimal, if any, connection to the land. This makes the narratives of Palestinians even more important to amplify when possible, which is what this presentation intends to do. By providing a linguistic analysis of Palestinian-American Etaf Rum's A Woman is No Man, this poster presentation will display the modern situation for Palestinian and Palestinian-American women. The novel follows three generations of women as they immigrate from Palestine to America, revealing critical themes of femininity, immigration status, national identity, and more. A linguistic analysis of Rum's novel will amplify a story similar to what many Palestinian-Americans experience, allowing for the audience to get a glimpse at intersecting systems of oppression and the process of identity construction as a Palestinian. This poster presentation will then connect Rum's novel and themes to the news and social media discourse surrounding Palestinians today to reveal the dire need for authentic voices on Palestine.
Nesbitt 3110
Donna Gessell
UNG Annual Research Conference 2022