Catastrophe, Memory and Identity: Al-Nakbah as a Component of Palestinian Identity

The author discusses the role of Al-Nakbah (which literally means catastrophe in Arabic) as a component of Palestinian identity. The author argues that 1948 is an important date in the history of the Palestinians and represents many things: the loss of homeland, the disintegration of society, the frustration of national aspirations, and the beginning of a process of destruction of their culture.