Time and Space in the Novels of Palestinian Writer Sahar Khalifa

This article seeks to examine the connections between time and space in the novels of the prominent Palestinian writer, Saḥar Khalīfa. In her writing, Khalīfa emphasizes the status of women in society. She describes Palestinian society, and links each of her works to the collective Palestinian struggle and the parallel female struggle. She draws inspiration from her personal identity, and contributes to the development of a cultural discussion and creation of a collective identity. Khalīfa’s works constitute a broad literary corpus, describing through time and space the events of Palestinian society in general and the status of Palestinian women in particular. These events constitute a chronological timeline that reflects processes of forming a Palestinian collective identity, and in a narrower circle it describes the changes that have taken place in Palestinian women’s lives, and the processes that contributed to shaping their identity in light of political-national changes. Thus, the connection created in Khalīfa’s novels between historical time and physical place is an inseparable part of the entire range of literary means that drive the plot and emphasize the role and status of Palestinian women in society.