Transculturation in Palestinians’ Lives
There are so many different texts that are out there. People from different cultures and communities write texts that we usually do not take seriously. We don’t want to see their point of view about things. We just want them to understand our point of view but not theirs. “States” is a transcultural text. A contact zone is the space in which transculturation takes place. Mary Pratt defines “Transculturation as a process whereby members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant metropolitan culture” (323). Palestinians are surrounded by dominant cultures. Pratt uses “transcultural” to describe the dominant groups or cultures because there are so many
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Said first introduces the photo. He describes what is going on in the photo in a very detailed way. Said describes the photos as if he was there. He is the one who took the photo and now he is trying to put all the pieces together. For example in the first photo, he mostly focuses on the car and leaves out the children in the background and the building behind the wedding people. I think he isolates the car because he want to make a point how the Palestinians are isolated from the rest of the world. He tries to describe every detail about the photos. Said says, “It has become what horse, mule, and camel were, and then much more” (541). The Mercedes is described in so much detail that you will be able to picture every small detail in your head. Said describes mostly how he feels and what he thinks about the photo, so I don’t think he completely explains what really happens or what’s going on in the photos. He says that the Mercedes is used in funerals, weddings, births, proud display, leaving home, coming home, fixing, stealing, reselling, running away in, and hiding in. The Palestinians are so insecure that they view the Mercedes as an intruder. The photo was taken outside a refugee camp, and after a few months, the camp was ravaged by the intra-Palestinian fighting. They destroyed everything. The Palestinians refugees feel like they have no place to go. Everywhere and every country they go to, they feel like outsiders. What I mean by this is that the Palestinians are made to feel like outsiders. They don’t belong there. It is like their identities have been stripped away. Everywhere they are except Palestine, they have cards that identify them. Even though of the trauma that the Palestinians have gone through, they still hold on to their culture and important family things. That’s the pieces that are left that they have as a culture that gives them
The first image shows Dragan dragging a dead body off the streets with the corresponding quote explaining how he understands that “there’s right and wrong… the world is binary”. The idea that the world is ‘binary’ is significant because it brings up imagery of black and white, with no shading, which visually contrasts with his ideas beforehand where he stated the war made everything around him appear gray. This outlines how Dragan’s idea on the had changed overtime, while before he believed he was in the ‘shaded region of war’ and that he was not on one side or the other, he now believes that there are only two sides that he could be on, which are right or wrong with respect to the civilians of Sarajevo and the snipers on the hills. The following Image serves to strengthen Dragan’s new mindset, where he notes that if the citizens of Sarajevo are “contempt to live with death… the Sarajevo will die”. This demonstrates how he believes the world is binary, and those who do not stand for Sarajevo are ultimately supporting it’s
The film “Five Broken Cameras” by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi portrays the essence of injustice in oppression by offering a raw, unfiltered and rich look into the lives of the most vulnerable of Palestinians. The Palestinian farmers who live in the disputed region, where Israel has since erected a large fence, lived through a period of great oppression in which their government offered little to no protection for their families or lands. To capture the importance of their experience it is necessary to experience a full version of their communities existence in all its complex beauty. As Mike Hoolboom states in his article From Lebanon to Kelowna: an interview with Jayce Salloum, “As we’ve come to know the Palestinian condition, it’s been
r remains faithful to the memory of his peaceful childhood when Jews and Palestinians lived together in peace, and the prospect of a better future. Despite the political wrongs his people have suffered, he is proud of his heritage and intends to “restore race relations between Jews and Palestinians, (by restoring) human dignity” (146). To do this, Chocour implements innovative techniques: he has Palestinians visit the Kibbutzim, and has Jews spend time with Palestinian families. Chocour’s message is quite honorable, “to change hearts not institutions” (222). Chocour remembers that “Jews and Palestinians are brothers, the(y) have the same father, Abraham, and believe in the same God” (34).
It’s his compassion for his subjects and his commitment to them that surpasses the act of making a pretty picture. Spending days with his subjects in the slums of Harlem or the hardly developed mountains of West Virginia, he immerses himself into the frequently bitter life of his next award-winning photo. Often including word for word text of testimonials recorded by junkies and destitute farmers, Richards is able to provide an unbiased portrayal. All he has done is to select and make us look at the faces of the ignored, opinions and reactions left to be made by the viewer. Have you ever been at the beach safely shielded by a dark pair of sunglasses and just watched?
Bob Hawke once said; “Unless and until something concrete is done about addressing the Israeli-Palestinian issue you won't get a real start on the war against terrorism.” Perhaps Hawke put into a few simple words one of the most complicated issues within our world today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Israel continues to strip the Palestinians of their land and fears it’s very existence because of the Palestinians terrorist acts, there seems to be no solution in sight. The world appears to be split and all over the place when it comes to this matter. According to The Middle East Institute for Understanding approximately 129 countries recognize Palestine as a state while many others do not. Over all the political matters within this issue not only affect Palestine and Israel but the world as a whole, as the Middle East and the West seem to disagree. This has had and will continue to have an enormous impact on many political affairs all over the world particularly in the current fight against terrorism. Personally I feel that the Israeli Palestinian conflict while being a very complicated matter has a simple solution. Within this issue I am a firm believer that the occupation of the West Bank by Israeli forces is extremely unjust and must come to an end. Once this is achieved a two state solution will be the most effective way to bring peace to the area. The occupation of the West Bank violates political and legal rights, human rights, and illegally forces Palestinians who have lived in the area for hundreds of years from their land. This conflict is at the height of its importance and a solution is of dire need as nuclear issues arise in the Middle East due to the tension between Israel and it’s surrounding neighbors, and the...
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted for a partition resolution that led to the establishment of the nation of Israel in May, 1948. This was great news for Jews in Palestine and the diaspora as it meant the fulfillment of the quest for the rebirth of their nation in their previous homeland after many years of wandering (Pappe, 2006, p. 12). However, their Palestinian Arab counterparts opposed to the establishment from the start felt cheated by the international community and remained categorical that the final answer to the Jewish problem would only be solved in blood and fire (Karsh, 2002, p. 8).
With the use of contrast, the photographer allows the viewer to move around the photo and keep them to remain interested. One thing that captures the attention of the audience is the “fuck the police” phrase spray painted in white against a blue mail carrier. Although it is a very derogatory statement, it has a much more deeper meaning behind it. This phrase represents the fight that African Americans have been dealing with for decades now against police brutality and the injustice they face. Also, it’s a cry for help, all these people want is for the police brutality to end and to be treated with the respect they deserve. They are hurt and tired of having to fight for the exact same things that their ancestors before them have had to fight for. The sole reason that this statement became such a popular phrase was due to the famous rap group N.W.A. These individuals created the song “Fuck Tha Police”, which discussed the police brutality that young African American men face. This song was released in the late 1980’s, but still to this very day it’s still very relatable to what has been occurring as of late in our society. In fact, the majority of the protest that have been occurring are seen to be using this phrase quite
The way the photo was taken only showing the people being abused adds hardship. It does not show the policemen who are spraying the hoses, which makes them seem even more evil and more like the bad guys. This gives the effect of a faceless foe and adds to the drama of the picture. This image shows that the protesters were willing to endure pain to get what they desired and deserved. The people in the background wanting to give up and go home, stay and show that they support their cause and are willing to fight for what they believe in. The man holding the woman shows the power and pain endured during the protest. They show that they are determined to get what they believe but also are being unfairly harassed.
middle of paper ... ... He attempts to convince the public that discrimination has gone on for far too long and it is time for a change. As for the photo, it mainly uses the appeal of Pathos, but it does not lack in power. The image is simple but communicates a powerful image revolving around discrimination.
Since the inception of an Israeli nation-state in 1948, violence and conflict has played a major role in Israel’s brief history. In the Sixty-One year’s Israel has been a recognized nation-state, they have fought in 6 interstate wars, 2 civil wars, and over 144 dyadic militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) with some display of military force against other states (Maoz 5). Israel has been involved in constant conflict throughout the past half century. Israel’s tension against other states within the Middle East has spurred vast economic, social, and political unity that has fostered a sense of nationalism and unity in Israel not seen in most other states. Over the next several pages I will try and dissect the reasons for why the nation state of Israel has been emerged in constant conflict and how this conflict has helped foster national unity and identity among the people of Israel.
In an article published by the Palestine-Israel Journal, it spoke about a survey done of Palestinian living conditions in parts of their homeland, including West Bank and Gaza Strip. The findings of the survey provided insight of the Palestinians constant war against unbelievers. The article stated, “In examining social change in Palestinian society, it was found that a high level of social integration exists together with a low level of social advancement. And the economic disadvantages of prolonged occupation with restrictions on movement and unexpected curfews and closures have created an environment of uncertainty and an inability to plan ahead of time for individual, family and group
The strongest window to the theme of “the Cattle Car complex” is a quote saying, “The Holocaust fades like a painting exposed to too much sun.” (Rosenbaum, 5) When a painting is exposed to sunlight, the colors begin to fade. In most paintings, the color adds to the message being portrayed in the painting. When a painting uses darker tones, the message is dark. When this detail is faded, the entire meaning of the painting is changed. In this quote, the holocaust is being compared to this, and similarly, when the occurrences of the holocaust are told in a way that trivializes them, the message of the event is changed, or no longer present. We trivialize the events of the holocaust by stripping it of important elements until all that is left are dates and numbers. This belittling of the information destroys the meaning, and takes away lessons we are left with after something like the holocaust. The importance is stripped from the event. This is why it is necessary that while teaching of the holocaust the important elements are not taken away.
Being exposed for such a long time to other cultures, Palestinians have had to deal with the effects of transculturation. Transculturation, as defined by ethnographers, is “to describe processes whereby members of a subordinate or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture” (Pratt 491). In other words Palestinians have absorbed parts of the different cultures they are now part of due to the nakba, or catastrophe, which marks the exile of more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from what is known today as Israel. On November 30, 1947 the United Nations v...
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
In their eyes, even though clearly victims, exist strengths and hopes for the future. The photos indicated that they could and did create their own culture, both in the past and present. From the same photos plus the texts, it could be gathered that they have done things to improve their lives, despite the many odds against them. The photographs showed their lives, their suffering, and their journey for better lives, their happy moments, and the places that were of importance to them. Despite the importance of the photographs, they were not as effective as the text in showing the African-American lives and how the things happening in them had affected them, more specifically their complex feelings.