Punchline: The Emergence of Humour in Palestinian Art and Film Chrisoula Lionis A thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The National Institute for Experimental Arts College of Fine Arts April 2013 ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed __________________________ Date __________________________ ABSTRACT The last two decades have witnessed a remarkable increase in the exhibition and screening of Palestinian art and film in festivals, galleries and cinemas around the world. Since the mid 1990s this Palestinian work has been marked by a distinct turn toward the employment of humour. This shift signals a radical departure from the aesthetic modes that previously dominated Palestinian art and film. Despite this change of direction, there remains a lack of scholarly analysis dealing with this phenomenon. This thesis offers the first comprehensive study of humour in Palestinian art and film, analyzing both the impetus behind this shift toward laughter and its consequences. This thesis is also the first study to investigate Palestinian art and film in a single extensive text, revealing the ways in which both art forms developed in response to critical moments in Palestinian history. Described as ‘critical junctions’, these moments have radically transformed modern Palestinian collective identity and in turn Palestinian cultural output. Mapping these critical junctions, beginning with the decline of the Ottoman Empire up until the present, this thesis explores the historical trajectory of Palestinian art and film and argues that the failure of the peace process has led to the proliferation of humour in Palestinian visual culture. DEDICATION In memory of my father, Dennis Lionis iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer my sincere gratitude to those who have encouraged, rallied and supported me during the writing of this thesis. Firstly, to my supervisor Dr David McNeill for his commitment, unrelenting enthusiasm and support of my research over the years. I am aware that this is a debt I will never be able to repay, but I will remain forever grateful. To Professor Jill Bennett whose research has been enormously influential and whose work at the National Institute for Experimental Arts has provided me with an inspirational place to both work and conduct interdisciplinary research. My thanks also to the College of Fine Arts that has also supported me by way of training, teaching opportunity and the financial support of fieldwork in Palestine. Thanks also to the academics at COFA that have inspired and supported my work over the years, most notably Associate Professor Phil George and Dr Jennifer Biddle for their patience and encouragement. To my friend Dr Uros Cvoro for his unwavering faith in my research, his chronic cheerfulness and for always helping me to push through. To Assad Abdi for his ongoing support, humour and valuable personal insight into Palestinian cultural output in Australia and beyond. My thanks also to Cultural Media and in particular Naser Shakhtour for providing me with the opportunity to work on the Palestinian Film Festival, a role that has directly influenced many of the insights contained within this thesis. To my family - Alexandra, Peter and Penny. There are no words to express my gratitude for all your support. To Alexandra, my Cretan mama, thank you for always believing in me. You will forever be my strongest role model. Finally, I thank the Palestinian people whose laughter and sumud is the driving force behind every word of this thesis. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication iv Acknowledgements v List of Figures vii Introduction 1 Part One The Construction of ‘Palestinianess’ and 30 ‘Palestinianism’ Chapter One A Germinating Nationalism?: Before 1948 31 Chapter Two Al-Nakba and the Birth of Palestinianess: 1948-1967 62 Chapter Three Karameh and the Emergence of Palestinianism: 1968- 95 1982 Chapter Four Exile2: A Return to the Abyss of Exile: 1982-1993 133 Part Two The Emergence of Laughter 168 Chapter Five The Punchline: Oslo and the Emergence of Humour 169 Chapter Six What/Where is Palestine?: Humour and the dileneation 204 of ‘Palestine’ Chapter Seven Occupied Laughter: The Failure of the Peace Process 244 Chapter Eight Who is Laughing?: Laughter and the Boundaries of 284 Identity Conclusion 323 Bibliography 330 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Zulfa al-Sa’di, Hashemite Leader of the Arab Revolt Sharif 54 Hussein Ibn Ali, Oil on Canvas. 1930 Figure 2. Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Untitled, Acrylic on Glass, 1947 55 Figure 3. Lumiere Brothers, Jerusalem, Film Still, 1896 57 Figure 4. Associated Press Photograph, Deir Yassin, 1948. 66 Figure 5. Ismail Shammout, Whereto?, Oil on Canvas, 1953 83 Figure 6. Ismail Shammout, For the Sake of the Palestinians, Poster, 105 1975 Figure 7. Ismail Shammout, Thousands of Arms, Posters, 1968 105 Figure 8. Ismail Shammout, A Sip of Water, Oil on Canvas, 1953 106 Figure 9. Ismail Shammout, Loneliness, Oil on Canvas, 1957 106 Figure 10. Sliman Mansour, Camel of Hardships, Oil on Canvas, 1973 110 Figure 11. Ibrahim Ghannam, The Harvest, Oil on Canvas, 1979 111 Figure 12. Naji al-Ali, Peace Built on Surrender, Cartoon, March 1976 114 Figure 13. Mustafa Abu Ali, They Did Not Exist, Film Still, 1974 128 Figure 14. Mona Hatoum, Measures of Distance, Video still, 15 139 minutes, 1988 Figure 15. Mona Hatoum, The Negotiating Table, Performance Still, 144 1983 Figure 16. Mona Hatoum, Socle du Monde, Sculpture, 1992 146 Figure 17. Mona Hatoum, Self-Erasing Drawing, Kinetic Sculpture, 147 1979 Figure 18. Michel Khleifi, Wedding in Galilee, Video Cover, 1987 154 Figure 19. Michel Khleifi, Wedding in Galilee, Film Still, 1987 157 Figure 20. The Signing Ceremony of the Oslo Accord I, September 189 1993 vii Figure 21. Areen Omari, First Lesson, Film Still, 2012 208 Figure 22. Larissa Sansour, A Space Exodus, Video Still, 2009 212 Figure 23. Larissa Sansour, Nation Estate, Video Still, 2012 215 Figure 24. Larissa Sansour, Nation Estate, Video Still, 2012 217 Figure 25. Larissa Sansour, Nation Estate, Poster, 2012 219 Figure 26. Amer Shomali, Visit Palestine, Poster, 2010 219 Figure 27. Khaled Hourani, No News from Palestine, 2007 222 Figure 28. Taysir Batniji, Watchtowers, C-Type Photographic Prints, 231 2008 Figure 29. Raeda Saadeh, Vacuum, 2-Channel Video Still, 2007 234 Figure 30. Raeda Saadeh, The Milk Maid, C-Type Photographic Print, 237 2007 Figure 31. Raeda Saadeh, Rrose Selavy, C-Type Photographic Print, 237 2007 Figure 32. Elia Suleiman, Divine Intervention, Video Cover, 2002 241 Figure 33. Sharif Waked, Beace Brocess, Video, 2010 248 Figure 34. Khaled Jarrar, The State of Palestine, Stamp, 2011-2012 255 Figure 35. Khaled Jarrar, The State of Palestine, Jarrar with Stamp, 256 2011-2012 Figure 36. Khalil Rabah, The 3rd Annual Wall Zone Auction, Video, 257 2004 Figure 37. Elia Suleiman, Divine Intervention, Film Still, 2002 260 Figure 38. Sharif Waked, Chic Point, Video, 2003 266 Figure 39. Taysir Batniji, GH0809, Installation View, 2010 271 Figure 40. Taysir Batniji, GH0809, detail, 2010 272 Figure 41. Tarzan and Arab, Gazawood, Posters, detail, 2010 275 Figure 42. Raed Andoni, Fix Me, Film Still, 2009 277 viii Figure 43. Rashid Masharawi, Waiting, Film Still, 2005 281 Figure 44. Emily Jacir, Sexy Semite, Installation View, 2000 - 2002 286 Figure 45. Emily Jacir, Sexy Semite, Personals, 2000 – 2002 288 Figure 46. Khaled Hourani, Watermelon, 2007 299 Figure 47. Monther Jawabreh, As Once Was Known, Oil on Canvas, 301 2012 Figure 48. Ihab Jadallah, The Shooter, Film Stills, 2008 302 Figure 49. Elia Suleiman, The Time That Remains, Film Still, 2009 304 Figure 50. Sharif Waked, To Be Continued, Video Still, 2009 315 Figure 51. Pablo Picasso, Buste de Femme, Oil on Canvas, 1943 320 Figure 52. Picasso in Palestine, Installation View, 2011 321 ix INTRODUCTION 1 ‘Even in laughter the heart may ache’ St. John Chrysostom In early 2008 I met with a group of Palestinians from a local Sydney community interest group. The purpose of our meeting was to organise an exhibition commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Nakba.2 Having already spent several years undertaking research on Palestinian art, I was keen to put my research into ‘the real world’, believing that an art exhibition would draw attention to an event rarely mentioned in the mainstream media, despite its significance for Palestinians and the Arab world. Throughout the course of our meeting, conversation meandered around various events in Palestinian history, drifting further and further away from the Nakba. At one point, discussion turned to the Lebanese Civil War and the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Perhaps inevitably, the conversation’s focus then shifted to the massacres 3 at the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut. At this point, one of the 1 St John Chrysostom quoted in Jacqueline Bussie, The Laughter of the Oppressed: Ethical and Theological Resistance in Wiesel, Morrison and Endo (NeW York: T&T Clark, 2007) 21. 2 The Nakba (or the Catastrophe) is the Word used to describe the foundation of Israel and the occupation of historical Palestine in 1948. Throughout this thesis the Zionist take over of historic Palestine in 1948 is described With the term ‘occupation’.