الفهرس 
Chapter One The Palestinian Storyteller: from an Entertainer to a Revolutionary FigureOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 144 |  |  |
| | | from | 144 | | |
Abstract
The thesis examines the role of contemporary Palestinian folktales in preserving the Palestinian cultural heritage and resisting the appropriation of the Palestinian culture. It aims to demonstrate how telling Palestinian folktales, which are easily accessible and rich in cultural and historical references, can be a powerful tool of cultural resistance. Denis Assad, a contemporary Palestinian female storyteller, revitalized this oral tradition after it was threatened with extinction to protect her country’s heritage and to assert that Palestinians should tell their own stories. Being interdisciplinary in nature, the thesis employs cultural resistance and performance activism as the main theoretical framework of the thesis
The first chapter of the thesis can be seen as historically-oriented. It examines the evolution of storytelling art in the Arab world, particularly in Palestine. The chapter traces how this art evolved from a male-dominated tradition to a more inclusive and progressive one that empowers women and marginalized communities. To achieve this aim, the first section of the chapter questions men’s dominance in the art and craft of storytelling in the Arab world. Second, the chapter explains that, before the proliferation of current cultural/theatrical performances, Palestinian storytelling projects focused on documenting Palestinian women’s social, cultural, and political experiences during and after the Nakba.
The second chapter moves to the role and aim of contemporary Palestinian folktales, probing into the relationship between popular culture and cultural resistance, with a specific focus on the works of British Marxist cultural critics. The chapter also takes on a historical tone, demonstrating how, both before and after the Nakba, various attempts were made to distort, manipulate, and obliterate the Palestinian culture, which is the main reason behind the recent revival of the Palestinian storytelling tradition. The chapter shows in detail how Palestinian intellectuals, folklorists, and artists, both past and present, have chosen cultural resistance to protect their homeland from imperial manipulation and false narratives.
The third chapter highlights the changes that have been made in the content and performance of the tales after they have been revived by Denis Assad. First, the new performance of the tales is examined using Richard Schechner’s work on performance studies and performance as activism. Second, considering the content, the chapter provides a textual analysis of a number of folktales narrated by Assad, stressing the cultural and historical significance that the storyteller intentionally emphasizes.