Trauma among Palestinian women: coping with shuhada' in their struggle for resistance in Kanafani's work

The study examines the impact of trauma on Palestinian women following the Nakba disaster, employing Kanafani's literary work Umm Saad to clarify the many psychological, social, and cultural challenges faced by Palestinian female refugees. The study illustrates how the protagonist's tenacity in the arduous setting of a refugee camp exhibits remarkable endurance in the face of adversity, displacement, and degradation of dignity. Employing Alexander's cultural trauma theory, this analysis of the character Umm Saad explores Palestinian mothers' responses to martyrdom shuhada', emphasising the interplay of religious, cultural, and social imperatives that impose unique constraints on maternal mourning, while simultaneously reinforcing their role as symbols of national resilience. Kanafani's oeuvre functions as both a literary homage to and a critique of the enduring cultural pain of the Nakba, illustrating Palestinian women's narratives as manifestations of political resistance that underscore the importance of motherhood in Palestinian identity. The Eindings highlight the importance of recognising these Palestinian women's resilience and reinterpreting cultural and political myths of sacriEice, emphasising the signiEicant maternal strength amid systemic oppression and exile.

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