Date of Award

2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Theory and Criticism

Supervisor

Dr. Allan Pero

Abstract

The goal of the present research was to evaluate the history of the Israel and Palestine conflict and consider the impact of using psychoanalytic theory as a method of inquiry. The analysis of the conflict focused on providing a summary of competing historical narratives that prevent positive interactions between warring nations. Spatial and temporal formations examined through visual art and film advance the unacknowledged significance of a shared culture that brings Israel and Palestine together. By situating desire and its function as an unconscious determinant in the structure of anxiety, we see that the conflict depends upon disavowing the other by resisting loving thy neighbour that serves as a protective strategy against fear. Perpetuating trauma without realizing its basis prevents Israelis and Palestinians from surrendering to the uncanny space of anxiety

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