Breaking Dichotomies: Counter-Narratives in the Spoken Word Poetry of Suheir Hammad

Authors

  • Denijal Jegić Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5283/copas.227

Keywords:

Spoken Word, Palestinian-American Literature, Suheir Hammad, Orientalism

Abstract

This article analyzes the spoken word poetry of the Palestinian-American author, Suheir Hammad, who attempts to deconstruct dichotomies between Arabs and Americans and to create a concept of transnational humanness. Through cultural criticism, Hammad reverses the process of Othering when she humanizes Palestinians and detaches suffering from national belonging. Her creative resistance represents a renegotiation of Americaness and its relation to Islam and Arabs, and opens up de-nationalized spaces of comparison.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2015-05-18

How to Cite

Jegić, Denijal. “Breaking Dichotomies: Counter-Narratives in the Spoken Word Poetry of Suheir Hammad”. Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies, vol. 16, no. 1, May 2015, doi:10.5283/copas.227.

Issue

Section

Articles