Culture and politics

Ghassan Kanafani's perspectives on the formation and organization of Zionist literature

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/revmar.2026.86215

Keywords:

Ghassan Kanafani, Zionism, Literature, Palestine, Colonialism

Abstract

This article aims to present and discuss the work produced by Ghassan Kanafani, On Zionist Literature, published in 1967. Kanafani was an important Palestinian intellectual for the interpretation of the contemporary historical process in Palestine, with the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. As a writer and literary critic, his works narrate Palestinian experiences, and above all, contribute to the formulation of the universe of Palestinian resistance and struggle against the occupation. The book On Zionist Literature, a study by Kanafani, deals with the organization of Zionist literature in a historical perspective, bringing narrative aspects into focus, as well as the relationships between culture and politics in the creation and development of Zionism. In this study, we seek to deepen Kanafani's arguments around the construction of literary Zionism, as well as to put into perspective the forms of analysis and theories mobilized by the Palestinian author, especially from the dimensions of colonialism and racism.

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Author Biography

Carolina Ferreira de Figueiredo, Federal University of Espirito Santo

Adjunct Professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Center for Human and Natural Sciences, Department of History. PhD in Social History from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; MA in History from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; BA in History from the State University of Santa Catarina.

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Published

2026-04-30

How to Cite

FERREIRA DE FIGUEIREDO, Carolina. Culture and politics: Ghassan Kanafani’s perspectives on the formation and organization of Zionist literature. Revista Maracanan, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, n. 41, p. 1–23, 2026. DOI: 10.12957/revmar.2026.86215. Disponível em: https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/maracanan/article/view/86215. Acesso em: 14 may. 2026.

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