Echoes of Exile

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/arabstudquar.46.1.0009
• Published date: 19 January 2024
• Pages: 9-27
• Date: 19 January 2024
• Author: Sajjad Gheytasi

ECHOES OF EXILE

Rememory and Resistance in

Salt Houses

Sajjad Gheytasi

Submission date: September 4, 2023; Acceptance date: October 15, 2023;

Publication date: January 19, 2024

Copyright

© 2024, Sajjad Gheytasi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of

the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY) 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any

medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract: This article delves into the intricacies of memory, resistance, and identity within

the context of Palestinian experiences, as portrayed in Hala Alyan’s novel, Salt Houses. This

study examines the profound impact of rememory on the collective consciousness of a Pal-

estinian family haunted by forced expulsions, upheavals, and the enduring cycle of occupa-

tion and forced migrations. The essay underscores that residual elements of past are not a

passive recollection but active agents that shape the present and future. It highlights how

traumatic pasts, passed down through generations, become an enduring legacy, connecting

history with contemporary realities. Drawing on the characters’ experiences, it showcases

how the struggle for identity and resistance against displacement is interwoven with the

memory of ancestral trauma. Furthermore, the research explores the role of elder Palestin-

ians, especially grandmothers, in preserving cultural heritage and transmitting stories that

bridge generations. These narratives serve not only to understand history but also as a means

of challenging occupation and advocating for the right of return. The article investigates the

dissonance between imagined homelands and present-day realities, shedding light on the

challenges faced by subsequent generations attempting to reclaim their heritage.

Keywords: Palestinian Experiences, Intergenerational Analysis, Identity, Residual

Elements,Resistance

Here is Palestine, he would think. Here are the streets we’d walk in Nablus, the

neighborhood we grew up in. Here is everything we loved. (Alyan, 2017: 244)

Sajjad Gheytasi is Assistant Professor of English literature at Payame Noor University (PNU), Tehran,

Iran

DOI:10.13169/arabstudquar.46.1.0009

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Introduction

Hegemony theory offers a fresh perspective by emphasizing the diversity of strug-

gles and the multifaceted power dynamics at play, departing from the conventional

binary viewpoint. Moreover, within the intricate tapestry of hegemonic discourse,

active rememory (Morrison, 1987: 135) has the potential to form alliances, work-

ing to challenge and disrupt the prevailing hegemonic discourse. Frequently, shifts

in hegemonic power coincide with moments of crisis. Alain Badiou characterizes

such moments as “events,” which represent a rupture in the established boundaries

of what can be articulated within the dominant discourse, something that the exist-

ing knowledge system cannot comprehend, not even in hindsight (Badiou, 2005).

These events do not become assimilated into the dominant discourse. Instead, they

bring about radical transformations by repeatedly introducing disruptive voices

into the prevailing hegemonic discourses, fundamentally altering them.

It is worth exploring the causal relationship between political events and dis-

course. In this sense, narrative construction and rememory play a pivotal role in

shaping the political landscape, essentially laying the groundwork for transforma-

tive change. Moreover, we must acknowledge that the impact of these efforts can

differ significantly between authoritarian and democratic societies. However, it is

significant to consider instability within the prevailing political system that

enforces specific memory narratives. If there is no structural crisis to expedite this

change, these coalitions must evolve gradually to attain the necessary cohesion to

supplant the dominant discourse. This process, reminiscent of Gramsci’s concept

of “war of position,” (Gramsci, 2007: 139) requires time and persistence. Once the

equilibrium of hegemonic discourse is disrupted, it does not automatically lead to

the emergence of a unified counter-discourse. At the conclusion of the counter-

hegemonic struggle, it is unlikely that a single, collective discourse will encom-

pass all formerly subaltern memory groups. Instead, divisions among them are

likely to persist, and the eventual formation of a new hegemonic memory culture

won’t fully represent the entirety of those involved in the cultural memory revolu-

tion. Lachmann observes that “preserving cultural memory involves something

like an apparatus for remembering by duplication, by the representation of the

absent through the image, by the objectification of memory, and by the prevention

of forgetting through the retrieval of images” (Lachmann, 2004: 166). When it

comes to preserving and amassing cultural knowledge, literary texts play a crucial

role by existing within the intricate web of cultural memory. Within this intricate

tapestry, a fantastical text serves as a powerful pointer, directing our attention

towards those suppressed and forgotten aspects of our collective memory, thus

compelling culture to confront its own tendency to forget and ignore certain

narratives.