Poetics of Resistance

A Postcolonial reading of Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry

Abstract

Focusing on Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry, this article aims to present his resistance poetry as aesthetic embodiment of oral dissemination rather than purely an art form. We can deduce three roles of Darwish’s take on resistance against the backdrop of Palestinian struggle; first is the attempt to subvert patriarchal/colonial ascendency by subjecting traditional affirmations to critical, postcolonial inquiry; second is the attempt to raise the self-esteem of the people by conferring upon them a ‘national sublime’ that emerges from their relentless struggle and sacrifice, and; third the presentation of poetic diction that evolves into a self-reflexive domain galvanizing the people into waging the struggle for their rights.