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Cartoons as a Site for the Construction of Palestinian Refugee Identity

An Exploratory Study of Cartoonist Naji al-Ali

Northern Illinois University

This study suggests that cartoons are important sites for the construction of the identity of the self and other. Using techniques culled from social psychology, cognition, and anthropology, in conjunction with the cartoon code, this study examines the way cartoonist Naji al-Ali constructed Palestinian refugee and Arab identity. This study illustrates the power of the cartoon as a mode of political expression in the Arab world and discusses the ways cartoons have been utilized in the Middle East and abroad. This study argues that because cartoons provide a stream of social and political commentary and yet are artistic works, they demand a layered interpretation that gets at the symbolism that may lurk in the artistry of the image, in the captions, or in the relationship between the cartoonist and his or her interpretive community.

Key Words: Palestinian refugees • Naji al-Ali • political cartoons • symbols • visual rhetoric • interpretive community

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