Representations of resistance and counter narratives in the film no other land: An analysis of Edward's Postcolonial Orientalism

Alfadhil, Muhammad Ibrahim and Mulloh, Tamim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6714-6181 (2025) Representations of resistance and counter narratives in the film no other land: An analysis of Edward's Postcolonial Orientalism. Mabasan: Masyarakat Bahasa & Sastra Nusantara, 19 (2). pp. 393-410. ISSN e-ISSN: 2621-2005 p-ISSN: 2085-9554

Text REPRESENTATIONS OF RESISTANCE AND COUNTER NARRATIVES IN THE FILM NO OTHER LAND AN ANALYSIS OF EDWARD'S POSTCOLONIAL ORIENTALISM.pdf Download (554kB)

Abstract

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a complex and protracted geopolitical issue, in which Israel's colonial practices against Palestine continue until today. The documentary film No Other Land directly records the destruction of Palestinian villages in Masafer Yatta as well as forms of resistance by the local community. The main issue of this research is the need to reveal how the film No Other Land presents resistance and counter-narratives to the dominance of Orientalist representations. This research aims to show that No Other Land is not only a documentation of reality, but also a medium that affirms the agency, dignity, and identity of the Palestinian people. This study uses Edward Said's framework of Orientalism to analyze how the film depicts power relations, colonial practices, and counter-narratives born out of Palestinian resistance. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through observation of scenes, dialogues, and visuals in the film, then categorized into verbal, symbolic, and historical forms of resistance. The study's results identified 21 instances of resistance, including 10 verbal, 8 symbolic, and 3 historical, as well as 7 instances of counter-narratives that serve to deconstruct the Orientalist discourse portraying Palestine as weak and passive. These findings show that No Other Land is not merely a documentation of suffering, but also a political medium that reclaims the representation of Palestine in the eyes of the world. Thus, documentary films can be understood as a space for cultural resistance that affirms the identity, dignity, and rights of colonized peoples.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	No Other Land; resistance; counter-narrative; orientalism
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200527 Arabic Literature (al-Adab al-‘Arabī) > 20052702 Naqd al-Adab (Arabic Literary Criticism) - Nadlariyat (Theoretic)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of Arabic Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Tamim Mulloh
Date Deposited:	12 May 2026 10:09

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