The Trauma Discourse in Ibrahim Nasrallah's Gaza Weddings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1511.22Keywords:
trauma theory, Palestinian literature, war and conflict narratives, collective memory, Ibrahim NasrallahAbstract
This paper explores the discourse of trauma in Ibrahim Nasrallah’s Gaza Weddings, situating the novel within the field of trauma studies and the broader context of contemporary war literature. The analysis examines how Nasrallah represents trauma as both a personal and collective condition shaped by protracted violence, displacement, and occupation in Gaza. Through the intersecting stories of Amna, Randa, Lamis, and Saleh, the novel portrays the psychological effects of continuous siege and the ways characters cope with grief, memory, and loss. The study highlights narrative strategies such as fragmented timelines, inner monologues, and disrupted chronology to reflect the recursive and disorienting nature of trauma. Moreover, it emphasizes the role of place in shaping traumatic experience, focusing on Gaza’s homes, hospitals, and cemeteries as symbolic spaces of suffering and resilience. The paper argues that Gaza Weddings not only documents the human cost of conflict but also affirms the power of storytelling, caregiving, and communal rituals as acts of resistance and survival. By foregrounding the agency of its female characters and embedding trauma in the fabric of everyday life, the novel challenges dominant narratives of victimhood and offers a literary space for witness, memory, and healing. Ultimately, Nasrallah’s work enriches both Palestinian literature and global trauma discourse, illustrating how fiction can bear witness to the seemingly unspeakable and affirm dignity amid devastation.
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