The Bereavement of Martyred Palestinian Children : Gendered, Religious and National Perspectives

This book examines the phenomenon of individual and collective bereavement in Palestinian society. It seeks to explore the boundaries of the discourse of bereavement and commemoration in that society through the interactive relations between religion, nationality and gender, and the ways these influence the shaping of the mourning process for Palestinian parents who have lost their children in the second (al-Aqsa) Intifada. Over the course of the book’s five chapters, Maram Masarwi scrutinizes how these components have shaped the differences in behavior between bereaved fathers and bereaved mothers: what characterizes these differences, how they are expressed, and how they have managed to shape the characteristics of the experience of Palestinian bereavement. Author’s Note 9 Contents 22 List of Figures 25 Overview: Coping with Bereavement and Trauma 26 Responses to Bereavement and Mourning 27 Bereavement, Grieving and Trauma 31 The Trauma of Losing a Child 34 References 36 Part One: Loss as Individual and Collective 42 The Impact of Traumatic Loss on the Individual Level 43 Being Surprised with the News of the Death 43 Health Problems and Diminished Cognitive Capacity 44 Everything Is in Ruins, Nothing Matters 46 The Individual Recurring Trauma 47 Time Does Not Heal 48 Traumatic Loss on the National Level: The Loss Is Doubled, the Trauma Multiplied 49 The Recurring Collective Trauma 50 References 52 Part Two: Gender, Religion and Nationalism in the Grieving Process 54 Gender Differences in Coping with Bereavement 54 Masculinity and Loss 54 Femininity and Loss 56 Gender, Bereavement and Nationalism in Palestinian National Discourse 58 Mystical Thinking for the Mothers, Rational Thought for the Fathers 61 Women Internalize Their Anger, Men Externalize It 64 From Personal Loss to Collective Loss Fathers Sacrifice, Mothers Protest Silently 66 References 72 Part Three: Coping with Bereavement in the Religious, Cultural and Societal Contexts—How Religion and Culture Shape Bereavement 76 The Shaheed and His Religious Significance: Death as Rebirth 79 The Palestinian Ideal of Death—The Ethos of Sacrifice 81 Sacrifice on the Altar of the Nation 84 Faith as Support: The Strength Parents Draw from God and Religion 90 The Shaheed and His Religious Significance: Death as Rebirth 93 Development and Cultivation of the Concept of the “Parents of a Shaheed”—ahali al-shuhada—In the Context of Sacrifice and Bereavement 94 Social Support 100 References 102 Part Four: National Identity and the Way Bereaved Parents Cope 105 Collective National Palestinian Identity 107 How National Identity Shapes Memory 110 The Politireligization and Gendering of Bereavement 111 Funeral as Wedding: A Shaheed’s Betrothal Ceremony 116 References 121 Part Five: The Politics of Memory and Commemoration 124 Personal Loss, Public Commemoration 124 Fatherly Commemoration—Monuments and Gravestones 128 Mikbarat al-Shaheed—The Martyr’s Cemetery 131 Memorial Days 136 Maternal Commemoration 137 Small Shrines 137 Cemeteries 139 Commemoration Through Media Platforms 139 Conclusion 141 References 145 Bibliography 147 Index 162 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxvii Overview: Coping with Bereavement and Trauma (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 1-16 Part One: Loss as Individual and Collective (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 17-28 Part Two: Gender, Religion and Nationalism in the Grieving Process (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 29-50 Part Three: Coping with Bereavement in the Religious, Cultural and Societal Contexts—How Religion and Culture Shape Bereavement (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 51-79 Part Four: National Identity and the Way Bereaved Parents Cope (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 81-99 Part Five: The Politics of Memory and Commemoration (Maram Masarwi)....Pages 101-123 Back Matter ....Pages 125-144