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Moving Beyond Speech: Palestinian Resistance through Art

Mariam Mohamed Salem

14th of December 2019

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Abstract

In discussing the question of “Can the Subaltern Speak?” posed by scholar Gayatri Spivak, the
academic and intellectual community tends to revolve its conversations around the loss of a
subaltern voice. In doing so, it unintentionally disregards the different modes of speech used in
subaltern communities. Through submitting the subaltern voice to the colonial West, and
describing the brown woman through the eyes of white women, critical and non-critical
academics brush over the “everyday methods of resistance”, as described by authors James Scott
and Asef Bayat, the subaltern has at their disposal; and therefore unintentionally take away their
agency. This paper puts forth the question of “How does the Subaltern Speak?” and in seeking to
answer it intertwines Spivak’s provoking question with Scott’s controversial arguments, pushing
both further into the usage of art as a method of resistance for Palestinian communities under
Israeli occupation. Through integrating the first-hand voices of many Palestinian artists who
view art as the most effective way of resistance in the 21st century, this paper discusses the
different mode of speech that is creative expression. In all, this paper hopes to contest a trend in
academic literature that reinforces the stereotype of the silenced and suppressed brown Other,
and incites a conversation about how the subaltern does not need speech to speak.
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Over the past and contemporary indefinite years, the academic community has made a

habit of asking the question “Can the Subaltern Speak?”1 In answering the question, however,

the community often times forgot that it is framed in such a way so as to strip the very agency of

the oppressed and colonized subaltern it is discussing by assuming that “speaking” is only

through “speech”. In doing so, the community lent itself to the Western liberal definition of

resistance as organized efforts, and therefore fell into the irony that such a thing as a Western

subaltern exists. This paper focuses on Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation, and

in specific the practice of art as resistance for Palestinians. It puts forth the argument that

viewing resistance as riots and revolutions, or as activism and action, is alienating to an entire

spectrum of everyday resistance in which the subaltern finds and expresses itself. Finally, this

paper asserts that even if the subaltern cannot speak, it can persist through art.

1
Spivak, Gayatri and Rosalind Morris, "Can the Subaltern Speak? Reflection on the History of
an Idea" (New York: Columbia University Press, 2010).
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Everyday Methods of Resistance

In writing about how peasant and slave societies respond to oppression, James Scott

noted that peasant rebellions are uncommon; and that the ways by which they resisted occupation

were very orthodox, every-day methods of resistance. These methods of resistance, Scott

elaborates, include acts such as cultural resistance and non-cooperation, or in other words,

persistence2. The very act of living through imposed hardship, Scott would argue, is inasmuch

resistance as organizing an uprising is. In Scott's words, these everyday methods of resistance

allow for “a veiled discourse of dignity and self-assertion within the public transcript… in which

ideological resistance is disguised, muted and veiled for safety’s sake”3. The reason Scott

focuses on peasant and slave societies is that they may be physically dispersed, less politically

organized, or unable to organize and/ or participate in openly political acts due to unsafety or

lack of proper resources.

Author Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian also writes about everyday methods of resistance,

except she focuses on the role of Information Computer Technologies (ICT) and how Palestinian

women used these technologies as spaces of resistance and contestation4. Moreover, Shalhoub-

Kevorkian puts forth that no formal networking or online organization needs to take place, but

asserts that the women's everyday usage of these technologies as “alternative spaces of freedom,

self, and community”5 is enough. Especially in Palestinian areas ridden with conflict, Shalhoub

suggests, where cyberspace can be used to communicate the whereabouts of Israeli checkpoints

2
Scott James, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance, (New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1985), 130.
3
Scott, 137.
4
Shalhoub- Kevorkian Nadera, "E-Resistance and Technological In/Security in Everyday Life:
The Palestinian Case" (The British Journal of Criminology, 2012), 55.
5
Shalhoub-Kevorkian, 57.
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and random arrests. Most importantly though, this online space may compensate for the loss of

control many Palestinians feel under the occupation.

In tandem with Scott's idea of resistance as persistence, author Caitlin Ryan also writes of

Sumud, or resilience, as an everyday method of resistance for Palestinian women. Sumud, Ryan

elaborates, is the idea of personal or collective steadfastness in face of hardship6. Palestinians

who chose to stay and not leave their communities practice Sumud every day as they battle with

the shackles of the occupation. The assertion of the Palestinian culture and identity, Ryan argues,

is in itself a form of resistance.

Art as Resistance

As seen through Scott, Shalhoub, and Ryan's literature, resistance can be through

everyday methods such as culture, persistence, and cyberspace. However, the specific form of

Palestinian resistance this paper focuses on is resistance through art. Art can be through music,

poetry, prose, graffiti, plays, paintings, and even knitting. To briefly illustrate the purpose of art

as resistance, a quote by Katiba 5, a Palestinian hip-hop band, is particularly inspiring:

“Traditional music must remain; it is a base and we listen to it. But the logic of our music is

different. Traditional music is to show the identity of the people, their huwiya, but that is not the

intention of our music. Our music is to show the problems of a people and how to get rid of

them... Rap is poetry that is sung in a specific way. It's poetry. It is the music of change.”7

6
Ryan Caitlin, Everyday Resilience as Resistance: Palestinian Women Practicing Sumud,
(International Political Sociology, 2015), 300.
7
Salih Ruba, and Sophie Richter-Devroe, "Cultures of Resistance in Palestine and Beyond: On
the Politics of Art, Aesthetics, and Affect", (The Arab Studies Journal, 2014), 8.
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The purpose of resistance art is perfectly described in this quote; it allows for the creation

of a counter or subculture, and Palestinian artists revive - or more accurately keep alive - the

Palestinian identity through it. They also keep alive the Palestinian cause through persistence in

spite of the occupation. Katiba 5 is one of many bands, made up of refugee and non-refugee

Palestinian youth, that use hip-hop to “express their anger at political and social predicaments”8.

There are several ways in which art is resistance, according to authors Ruba Salih and Sophie

Richter-Devroe. The first of those ways is that art “has a powerful way of signaling presence”9.

In other words, art can act as a way of claiming and reclaiming spaces. Also, art can create “a

powerful and shared vocabulary”10, which inspires the creation of a collective identity and a

shared sense of community in face of threat. Finally, art creates “a common, mutually

reinforcing imagery”11; as it challenges the dominant narrative of the past and the present which

is put forth by the occupation.

Art and the Palestinian Cause

Art is a form of Palestinian cultural production, and it has especially become so ever

since the 1960's, when art constituted “a platform for the nationalist resistance movement”12. Art

was especially used by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) at the height of the 1960's

and 1970's, when many classical Palestinian artists such as Ghassan Kanafani, Mahmoud

Darwish, and Suleiman Mansour reflected both the misery and the hope of the people. One of

8
Salih and Richter-Devroe, 9.
9
Salih and Richter-Devroe, 12.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
12
Salih and Richter-Devroe, 22.
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Kanafani's famous quotes which reflected the latter reads as follows, “Everything in this world

can be robbed and stolen, except one thing; this one thing is the love that emanates from a human

being towards a solid commitment to a conviction or cause”13. However, the underlying

optimism, as we shall see, was soon to be disappointed by events in the political arena.

After the Oslo Accords in 1993, this era of revolutionary art started to dwindle. Even

though the Palestinian Authority (PA) was still supporting the cause, it also started normalizing

the existence of Israel - a contradiction which further repressed the artistic scene. The failure of

the peace process and the Oslo negotiations deeply disenchanted Palestinians from the prospect

of finding a just solution, and this disenchantment was reflected in the art14. In fact, resistance art

Post- Oslo took a much darker turn; when black humor and irony emerged through many

prominent works such as the writings of Suad Amiry and Liana Bader. This can be seen through

one of Amiry's most famous quotes: “Nothing makes sense, so why should I?”15 Which is lined

with skepticism that considerably contradicts the hopefulness of Kanafani's. Nevertheless, as we

will see in later sections, resistance art continued to thrive. In fact, as some Palestinians artists

would suggest, art is one of the most effective and dominant means of resistance Palestinians of

the 21st century have at their disposal.

13
Wild Stefan, Ghassan Kanafani: The Life of a Palestinian, (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1975):
24.
14
Salih and Richter-Devroe, 27.
15
Amiry Suad, Nothing to Lose But Your Life: An 18-Hour Journey With Murad, (Random
House, 2005): 15.
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Beyond the Literature

In attempting to get firsthand opinions, I had the pleasure of interviewing two Palestinian

resistance artists. The first interviewee is Ibrahim Ghunaim, a 25-year-old Palestinian who writes

and publishes rap songs. He goes by the name MC Gaza. Ghunaim's songs are nationalist, and

revolve around the Palestinian cause. In one of his songs, he condemned United States President

Trump for recognizing the State of Israel. Here is my interview with him:

-Why made you start making music?

Ghunaim: I started making music for fun. Then I found out that I can use it to speak about what I

want, what I don't want, what I see, and what I wish to see.

-Do you think that music can be a form of resistance for Palestinians?

Ghunaim: For sure. It is the best way these days. Israel is using the media in its favor ever since

they started the occupation, and that's why they defeated all the Arab armies in 1967. That is why

they are controlling the world now.

-You mentioned that music is the best way to resist “these days”, what did you mean by that?

Ghunaim: I meant that now is the time for social media and music. It is the new age; music is

how we can make the whole world know about our cause and the rights we do not have.

-Do you think your music actually helped the Palestinian cause in any way?

Ghunaim: Definitely. I raised awareness about the cause in places where nobody knew about it.

Just imagine what would happen if the big companies helped.

-Is there anything else you would like to say?

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Ghunaim: Yes. I want to say that we are all human beings in Gaza, who just want to live with

basic freedom. We will get it someday, because we will not give up, even after a thousand years.

In interviewing Ghunaim, I noticed that many academic ideas of resistance literature

were reflected in very simple terms. Ghunaim, and many others like himself, use art not just

because it is the only method of resistance they have at their disposal, but also because they truly

believe in the power of their work. Another talented artist I had the pleasure of interviewing is

Manal Deeb, a Palestinian-American visual artist who also publishes and displays her art as a

form of resistance against the occupation. This was our discussion:

-Do you think art can be resistance for Palestinians? Why or why not?

Deeb: “Resistance Art” is a term commonly used and I personally believe in it. For us

Palestinians, resistance comes in many different ways. Every way is needed to continue. In one

of my interviews, I called art as a “peaceful weapon”. Imagine the contradiction between a

weapon and peace. Art does not harm, but it provides strong messages without saying anything.

I have experienced this so many times. People got offended when they saw my art, and they

fought against it. So yes, art is a way of resistance! It also lasts for Palestinian generations to

come and provides them with stories, history, and pride.

-Some say that given the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today, art is the only way of

resistance. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Deeb: Of course art is “one way” but it is not the “only way” of resistance. Yes, it is very

effective since it merges contradictions into a beautiful stream of meanings. Art preserves
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culture and in our Palestinian existence, preserving culture is not an option, it is a necessity. That

is what kept us going since 1948. From my experience in the Western world, I have received

many messages like, “I didn't know anything about Palestine, but your art revealed beautiful

understandings in a simple way and put a basis for more learning.” These statements are the

great gifts I admire!

-Do you have a message you would like to say?

Deeb: My messages are that I am a Palestinian female artist, I am here, I exist and I am proud. I

will not surrender to borders imposed by politicians, society, religion, gender, or occupation. My

art is a free bird flying all the skies, whether it rains or shines, it shall continue flying. I have my

people on my land Palestine! Another message to my fellow Palestinian and Arab females in

general, don't be afraid of pushing the limits. Don't be afraid of challenging your society and

your own family. Thrive because you have power!

One of the many things that Deeb beautifully put was the idea of art as history or legacy

for Palestinians. Art is not just a method of creative expression for Palestine; it is a way in which

Palestinian identities could survive at a time when they are constantly under threat and

censorship.
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Where Do We Go Now?

The purpose of this paper was to be critical of the way in which subaltern resistance is

discussed and framed in dominant academic spheres, and to shed light on the fact that the

analysis surrounding speech and resistance as organization is one that is Western centric. Where

we should go from here is to realizing that viewing everyday acts as “more” rather than “only” is

in itself a challenge to the occupying power. This Western dialectic of resistance is especially

faulty in the case of Palestine, where “normal” is abnormal, and the constant chaos of living

under the Israeli occupation is the “every day.” I hope that through this paper, I was able to assert

the idea that the subaltern does not need to speak in order to resist. It just needs to persist, and art

is one of the most solidifying (and cathartic) ways of doing so.

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Bibliography

Amiry, Suad. Nothing to Lose But Your Life: An 18-Hour Journey With Murad. Random House,
2005.
El- Hasan, Afif. Israel or Palestine? Is the Two-State Solution Already Dead?: A Political
Military and History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. New York: Algora Publishing, 1998.
Ryan, Caitlin. “Everyday Resilience as Resistance: Palestinian Women Practicing Sumud”.
International Political Sociology, no. 9, (2015): 299-315.
Salih, Ruba, and Sophie Richter-Devroe. “Cultures of Resistance in Palestine and Beyond: On
the Politics of Art, Aesthetics, and Affect.” The Arab Studies Journal, no. 1 (2014): 8-27.
Scott, James. “Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance”. New Haven: Yale
University Press, (1985).
Shalhoub- Kevorkian, Nadera. “E-Resistance and Technological In/Security in Everyday Life:
The Palestinian Case”. The British Journal of Criminology, no. 1 (2012): 55–72.
Spivak, Gayatri and Rosalind Morris. “Can the subaltern speak? Reflections on the history of an
idea”. New York: Columbia University Press, (2010).
Tessler, Mark. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Bloomington: Indiana University
Press, 2009.
Wild, Stefan. Ghassan Kanafani: The Life of a Palestinian. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1975.