Silenced voices: Representation of Palestinian women assubalterns in Fadwa Tuqan’s Ilaihim Warā’ Al-Quḍbān

Siregar, Namira Az-Zahra, Surur, Misbahus ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9370-5004 and Haq, Alya Arinil (2026) Silenced voices: Representation of Palestinian women assubalterns in Fadwa Tuqan’s Ilaihim Warā’ Al-Quḍbān. Al-Lisan: Jurnal Bahasa (e-Journal), 11 (2). pp. 172-188. ISSN 2442-8973/2552-8965

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Abstract

Background: The Palestinian–Israeli conflict extends beyond territorial and political struggles, producing enduring social, cultural, and psychological suffering, particularly for Palestinian women whose experiences are frequently marginalized within colonial and patriarchal discourses. Aims: This study examines the representation of Palestinian women as a subaltern group in Fadwa Tuqan’s poem إليهم وراء القضبان through the perspective of Gayatri C. Spivak’s theory of subalternity. Methods: This research employs a qualitative literary textual analysis. Data were collected through close reading and note-taking techniques applied to the poem and relevant scholarly literature. The primary data consist of the selected poem, while secondary data include books and journal articles on postcolonial feminism. The analysis focuses on epistemic violence, the politics of representation, and the problem of subaltern speech to investigate how women’s voices are marginalized and how the poem creates alternative spaces for resistance. Results: Based on twenty-nine textual units identified from close reading, including significant verses, symbolic diction, and recurring thematic patterns, the findings reveal that Palestinian women are portrayed as subaltern subjects who experience structural oppression under colonial domination and patriarchal power. Simultaneously, they emerge as active agents of resistance who preserve national identity, collective memory, and cultural continuity despite systematic silencing. Implications: This study demonstrates that literary works function not only as artistic expressions but also as sites of resistance that challenge dominant narratives and amplify marginalized voices. Furthermore, the findings contribute to postcolonial feminist scholarship by highlighting literature’s critical role in representing subaltern women’s experiences within contexts of colonialism, displacement, resistance, and historical injustice across diverse contexts.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Fadwa Tuqan; Palestinian poetry; postcolonial feminism; Palestinian women; subaltern
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200525 Literary Theory 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200527 Arabic Literature (al-Adab al-‘Arabī) 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200527 Arabic Literature (al-Adab al-‘Arabī) > 20052705 Naqd al-Adab (Arabic Literary Criticism) - al-Syi'r (Poetry)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of Arabic Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Misbahus Surur
Date Deposited:	23 Sep 2026 13:06

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