Identity, Belonging, and Resistance in 'Alā' Mufīd Muhannā's Novel<i> Maqdisiyya</i><i> Ana:</i> Being Palestinian in Israel

ÜYÜMEZ F. B., UZUN R.

SELCUK UNIVERSITESI EDEBIYAT FAKULTESI DERGISI-SELCUK UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF FACULTY OF LETTERS, vol.55, pp.35-52, 2026 (ESCI)

Abstract

While Palestinian writers in exile often focus on the hardships of life in foreign countries or refugee camps, their longing for their homeland, and their ideals of return, Palestinian writers who are Israeli citizens, commonly referred to as "Arabs of 48", depict in their literary works the challenges of living as a minority in their own homeland, as well as the discrimination and marginalization they experience. This study aims to examine the lives of Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship through the intertwined themes of identity, belonging, resistance against occupation, and spatial dynamics in the novel Maqdisiyya Ana (A Jerusalemite I Am) by the Palestinian author 'Al & amacr;' Muf & imacr;d Muhann & amacr;. Adopting a critical textual analysis within an interpretive qualitative research paradigm, the study analyzes how the novel portrays the socio-political pressures, sectarian divisions, and struggles against social norms faced by Palestinian youth living under Israeli rule in Jerusalem during the 2000s. The findings demonstrate that the novel constructs the formation of Palestinian identity and belonging through individual experiences and traumas, while also revealing the complex social dilemmas and sectarian boundaries confronted by Druze and Muslim characters alike. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre's theory of the production of space, the study further examines how the historical fabric of Jerusalem is transformed through political interventions and spatial control. The study concludes that the novel represents occupation not only as a physical reality but also as a multilayered process that deeply affects identity, space, and cultural memory.