2023/09/02 by Nevine Abraham · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Communism, Protests, Social Movements
paper · doi:10.1080/1475262x.2024.2387019
This article examines Hussein Yassin’s novel (b. 1943-), Alī: Qissat Rajul Mustaqīm (2017), (ʿAlī: The Story of an Honorable Man), the first historical fiction which treats the real story of ʿAlī ʿAbdul Khāliq (b. 1901–d. 1938), a Palestinian member of the Palestinian Communist Party (PCP) who fought in the Spanish Civil War against Francisco Franco’s fascist nationalists. While Jewish participation in the International Brigades has been well-researched, Palestinian Arabs’ role has not received as much attention. This paper contextualizes the novel in its contemporary history and examines its emphasis on ʿAbdul Khāliq's participation in the International Brigades as an extension of his fight for Palestine. This analysis adds to scholarship that has debunked discourses on Arabs’ collaboration with Europe’s fascist regimes. Reading across history, politics, and literature, analysis shows how ʿAlī can be read as a representation of continued anti-Zionist, anti-imperialist struggle and the fight for labor and land.