The Concept of the "Self" and the "Other" in the New Palestinian Cinema رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

This study examines the concepts of the "self" and the "other" in new Palestinian films, in particular, those films produced between 2009 and 2019, in order to understand the Palestinian narrative about the self-other binary. Also, it highlights the changes that occurred in the concept of the self and the other, taking into consideration the socio-political transformations that took place during the past two decades. The study sample included six Palestinian films that had a significant impact after the 2000 Second Intifada. The study tried to answer several questions, the most important of which was: how prominent are the concepts of self and other in new Palestinian cinema, and what distinguishes each representation? The study adopted the content analysis methodology. On the one hand, the researcher developed a coding instrument, relying on the unity of the personality. Accordingly, she reviewed various elements of the sample films in terms of the characters’ demographic and individual characteristics as well as values. On the other hand, the researcher relied on the unity of the scene, using the critical analysis method to link the statistical figures to each film component as well as the director's vision, background, and production finance. The study found that the concepts of self and other were shown to be very prevalent in the Palestinian new film. Moreover, new horizons for dealing with the Palestinian character (the self) have opened up, whilst representations of the other have remained stuck in tradition by neglecting the Israeli character. The study discovered that self-representations, like any other personality, had good and negative features, with negative traits dominating the other-representations. The study recommended that, in view of the field's rapid expansion, new issues in Palestinian cinema be researched and linked to conceptions of identity, political and social change. Also, VIII directors should be more conscious of how they portray "the self" and "the other" while creating cinematic works, because they reflect the Palestinian people's collective narrative and influence their orientation in some way.