Abstract
The theoretical concepts of time and waiting have evolved mostly around the units of clocks and calendars. The Palestinians have been forced to let waiting be part of their national and cultural life. The forced displacement has scattered many Palestinians in exile around the globe. These Palestinians in diasporas have been waiting to return home one day and this perpetual state of waiting is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. The Palestinians' experience of time and waiting are quite different from most parts of the world. The linearity of time seems to break its rhythm when it enters Palestinian lives. The temporality appears to have multiple dimensions when it comes to Palestine. There are times when the clock is not the reference point of Palestinians' time, and hours and minutes can no longer gauge their waiting. They have given a new meaning to time, waiting and exile through not only the physical existence of their being, but also through their literature and art. Although we live in a culture that denigrates waiting, we have a whole Palestine hanging on for what can put an end to its wait. The concept of time, waiting and exile suddenly jumps out of the theoretical notions and embodies itself in Palestine. Palestinians' literature, movies and other art forms have encompassed these ideas to strengthen their collective memory and identity. The life of a dispossessed Palestinian has many internal contradictions that are at times not obvious but beyond the contradiction typically experienced by individuals in life. The Palestinian struggle for land is also a struggle against the established unitary idea of time and waiting of colonizers. This article will try to delve into such meanings of time and waiting for Palestinians in their cultural lives and their everyday existence.
Highlights
On the heights of smoke, on the stairs of home, There is no time for time
The craving for a homeland and the freedom from the forces of occupation have given new reference points to Palestinian arts and literature. It has created a paradigm shift from how the world typically experiences the concepts of time, waiting and exile
When we look at this concept of time, we tend to think about the idea of past, present and future being associated with time
Summary
On the heights of smoke, on the stairs of home, There is no time for time. We do what those who ascend to God do: We forget pain. Research Scholar at the Center for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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