Collective memories, and diasporic experiences in hala alyan's poetry

Abstract EN

The construction of the diasporic identity is inextricably linked to the collective memory of home culture : its geography, history, traumatic experiences, and achievements.

This paper tackles the effect of trans generational trauma, diaspora, and collective memories on the second generation of diasporic individuals as represented in selected poems by the Palestinian-American poet Hala Alyan.

It traces the development of her exilic identity through the analysis of selected poems by her, written over different periods.

The poems have been chosen from Alyan's volumes : Atrium (2012), Hijra (2016), the Twenty-Ninth Year (2019), and an individual poem published in (2020).

The paper examines some significant concepts such as diaspora, trans-generational trauma, displacement, and home-seeking.

The paper argues that trans-generational experiences and collective memories can affect the formation of the identity of second generational immigrants.

It contends that what happened in the past will affect the subsequent generations, and they will permanently be haunted by it.