LITERATURE AND NATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

darwish’s ‘indian speech’ as dramatic performancebroker in designing such a peace. Finally, the poet’s ‘legitimacy’ to speak to thisissue is greatly strengthened, since this is his story.For us then – American students of international politics – this does becomea traumatic encounter. We find ourselves not only discontent, but alienatedfrom values we formerly espoused. In Clements’ radical pedagogy, by ‘immersingourselves in other realities’ we have begun the process of understanding ourworld-view, which itself opens the way for replacing such a view with thenecessity of developing a new vision. This is no small step: coming to acknowledgethat justice is a crucial – yet absent – part of the Palestinian-Israeli peaceunder negotiation is an extraordinary admission. Policy implications here areimmanent.Such a transformation rests with the abilities of the poet-as-performer tonarrate his story compellingly, and with his ability to utilise the space dedicatedto such performance in ways that diminish boundaries between himself and hisaudience, thereby enhancing possibilities for empathy. In the present instance,and with regard to Darwish’s secondary audience (ourselves), this was achievedin part through the use of the Native American-Columbus narrative. Our ownreflections upon such actions in our past predispose us to an empathic responseand an acceptance of blurred boundaries.But in the tradition of the qasida, the poet is ‘venerated as the protector andguarantor of honour of the tribe and a potent weapon against its enemies’(Gibb: 29). It is through his stories, ritualised in performance, that tribal historydefines meaning for the tribe; it is within the sacred space dedicated to suchconversation that the audience – his tribe – is challenged to complete the poemfor themselves, transforming his story in ways that bring meaning to themselves.Put another way, the question arises, how does the poet/performer diminish theboundaries between himself and us (his Western audience) to such an extentthat we also come to complete the story for ourselves, in transformative ways? Itis clear that we are not of his tribe.Part of the answer lies with the universality of the conflict he presents. Onone level, this involves the question of national identity, which resonates loudlywith any audience. But Darwish goes beyond this to explore the material andspiritual elements that define each of us, individually, as well as along our‘national’ dimensions. In this exploration, we understand that justice in anysetting will address needs beyond the physical/material definitions of a people:that identity itself is surely grounded in the metaphysical. Elements of cosmopolitanism?Perhaps, but also a respect for the other as an other, having a distincthistoricity, and recognising the dialectic inherent in describing the question ofhuman identity.It is in fact by appealing to our shared humanity that Darwish is successful indrawing outsiders into this sacred space with him: indeed, it is here that we— 95 —www.taq.ir