Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
Modern Languages
Additional Departmental Affiliation
Philosophy and Religion
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
This graphic novel looks at symbols used by three prominent Palestinian political cartoonists—Naji al Ali, Baha Boukhari, and Khalil Abu Arafeh—that represent the Palestinian people. The goal, assuming that political cartoons accurately reflect the opinions of the common people, is to discern what Palestinians think about themselves. This study finds that while the cartoonists use a number of cultural and religious symbols to represent Palestinians, the most regularly used images—and hypothetically the most insightful—are representations of common Palestinian people themselves. They are depicted as humble yet strong and pious. Al Ali’s cartoons are taken from handala.org, a website dedicated to al Ali, his most famous character Handala, and to the Palestinian cause. Boukhari’s and Abu Arafeh’s cartoons come from their personal Facebook pages.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Dr. David DiMeo
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Digital Humanities | Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures
Recommended Citation
Wurth, Jonathon P., "Where the Rocks Bleed Ink: Images of Self in Palestinian Political Cartoons" (2015). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 573.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/573