Silenced voices: Representation of Palestinian women as subalterns in Fadwa Tuqan’s Ilaihim Warā’ al-Quḍbān

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.