Generational Transmission of Collective Memory of 1948 War Events among Internally Displaced Palestinians in Israel Eman Nahhas Tel Aviv University

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Generational Transmission of Collective Memory of
1948 War Events among Internally Displaced
Palestinians in IsraelEman NahhasTel Aviv
University
Abstract The main purpose of this study is to
investigate the role of the Internally Displaced
Palestinian family in the construction of a
particular Palestinian collective memory and
transmitting it to the second and third
generations. This collective memory has been
targeted by Israeli institutions in continuous
attempts to suppress the possibility of being
communicated in official channels. The study
tries to answer three major questions. Firstly,
the amount, extent, and dominating themes of
intergenerational transmission of the Palestinian
collective memory, concerning the events of 1948
to find factors that reactivate, maintain and
fortify the generational collective memory and
finally, to investigate the relation between
collective memory and the collective social
identity of IDPs. The present study seeks to
contribute to broader knowledge of the IDPs role
in transmitting the Palestinians collective
memory across generations. In addition, it aims
to provide a profound notion of the relation
between IDPs collective memory of the events of
1948, and their social identity, as well as to
afford a documentation of the Palestinian
narrative.
Introduction Arabic narratives have promoted the
term Al-Nakba (the immense catastrophe) to refer
to the Palestinian experience in 1948. More than
half of the 1.4 million Palestinian Arabs were
expelled from historic Palestine. In addition,
thousands were killed and injured. Although IDPs
in Israel did not cross the borders of the newly
established state of Israel, they configure as
part of the overall Palestinian refugee problem.
Nevertheless, Israeli authorities prevented the
families to return to their original villages,
making them refugees in their own homeland.

• Procedure and Interview Schedule
• In-depth three designed interview schedules with
  open-ended questions, one for each generation,
  concerning their collective memory participation
  in commemoration activities feelings about what
  happened and emotions felt while sharing the
  memory with others and the influence of the
  events of 1948 on the interviewees identity.

• Sample
• 10 Grandparents (age around 80), who experienced
  displacement during 1948 events.
• Their elderly male sons (10 men, age around
  50), and their elderly male grand children(10
  fellows, age around 25).

Results

• IDPs Collective Memory
• The three generations talked about the uprooting
  experience Experiencing fear and witnessing
  violent actions Negative self perception Self
  blame Sense of victimhood, and grief over the
  loss of village of origin.
• 2nd and 3rd generations blame the 1st generation
  of leaving their homes while the 1st generation
  tries to justify his coping strategy.
• 2nd and 3rd generations believe that there was
  an operation of ethnic cleansing while the 1st
  perceived the uprooting as temporary.

IDPs Values Attitudes 2nd and 3rd
generations express a strong readiness to
sacrifice for their land and are adherent to the
right of return . However, the 1st generation is
more desperate.
IDPs Identity The three generations assert their
sense of being refugees in their own homeland.

• Conclusion
• IDPs family played a crucial role in
  transmitting the collective memory of the events
  of 1948 through three generations.
• The three generations reconstruct different
  collective memory with some similarities.
• The three generations rebuild their memory
  accounts of the village of origin through diverse
  means The first generation is largely indulged
  in story telling while younger generations
  participate more in commemoration activities.
• 2nd and 3rd generations express a stronger
  assertion in future return than the 1st
  generation .

The right of return is generationally transmitted
from one generation to another to another.