The collective memory of the catastrophe – Nakba – and resilience among palestinian refugee youth in the West Bank

Abstract

The present dissertation aims to investigate the collective memory of the Nakba (Catastrophe) as perceived by Palestinian refugee youth. The study approached the literature as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, which addressed both theoretical and applied research. The significance of this study is that it is the first, to the author knowledge, which deals with this theme, in the seventy years following the Nakba. The study will be an important reference point for those concerned with the Palestinian question in general and the area of collective memory in particular.

To achieve this end, the study adopted the descriptive method using a quantitative questionnaire design approach, which is appropriate to the exploratory nature of the research, and has provided more meaningful, in- depth data. The target population consisted of 15974 Palestinian refugee youth residing in the refugee camps of the West Bank in 2018. The overall sample was constituted of 1000 youth (508 males and 492 females) selected in a stratified method, according to gender and region. Collective memory of the Nakba was evaluated using an index of a 27-item scale. The researcher approached the participants at the refugee camps in the West Bank, and they were asked to complete the questionnaire; however, the interviews with young persons between 10‒14 years of age were conducted in their homes. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), and the resulting high scores indicated a high level of collective memory.

The findings indicate that Palestinian refugee youth preserve a very strong collective memory of the Nakba. Collective memory is based on the affected individuals’ shared values, norms, experiences, common destiny, and their common history, all of which are more widespread among Palestinians, taking into consideration their extremely tragic experiences of the Israeli occupation, through the seventy years following the Nakba; these are stored in the Palestinians’ collective memory and are unerasable, indicating that they know of their hometown, which their forefathers were forced to leave. Their right of return is sacred and imprescriptible, and they will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives if that helps the Palestinian people return to their homeland. The findings reveal that the variables of gender, exposure to Israeli violence, parents' level of education, and GPA are significant predictors for the collective memory of the Nakba. It is a fact that refugees age and die, but the youth will never forget.

El presente trabajo tiene como principal objetivo el estudio del concepto de «memoria colectiva» en relación con el hecho histórico de la Nakba (catástrofe), desde la perspectiva de la generación palestina más joven. Nos consta que este es el primer estudio de este tipo en los setenta años que han transcurrido desde la Nakba, por lo que resulta incuestionable su relevancia para futuras investigaciones relacionadas con la cuestión palestina o el concepto de «memoria colectiva» en general. El núcleo de población objeto de estudio en este trabajo está formado por jóvenes refugiados palestinos residentes en los campos de Cisjordania. La población de jóvenes que residen en dichos campos asciende a 15 974; de entre ellos, en este estudio se ha trabajado con 508 hombres y 492 mujeres, seleccionados teniendo en cuenta su género y la región de la que proceden. La memoria colectiva de la Nakba ha sido evaluada in situ a través de un cuestionario que contenía 27 conceptos relacionados y que fue facilitado a los propios jóvenes en los campos de refugiados de Cisjordania. Los sujetos de entre diez y catorce años fueron entrevistados directamente en sus casas. Los datos recogidos fueron tratados con el SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Los resultados arrojados por la investigación demuestran que los jóvenes refugiados mantienen un alto nivel de memoria colectiva respecto a la Nakba: conocen bien la tierra que sus antepasados fueron forzados a abandonar, mantienen los valores y normas propios de su pueblo y defienden el derecho a regresar. Factores como el género, el nivel de exposición a la violencia por parte del estado israelí o el nivel educativo de los padres resultaron ser de especial relevancia para la pervivencia y el desarrollo de esta memoria colectiva.