The Definition of Khalil Rabah’s Dictionary Work

screenshot of Palestine_1961-Omar-El-Akkad-4K.jpg and caption via princeton.edu I am bummed to miss Omar El Akkad’s Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture at Princeton today. I was amazed to see the artwork used to promote the lecture, which is credited as Khalil Rabah’s Palestine, 1961, courtesy of the artist. Rabah has pounded nails into an open dictionary, leaving only one definition visible and legible: philistine \ˈfil-ə-ˌstēn; fə-ˈlis-tən\ n. often cap [Philistine, inhabitant of ancient Philistia (Palestine)]; a materialistic person; esp : one who is smugly insensitive or indifferent to intellectual or artistic values – philistine adj. often cap An artwork like this from 1961 would be extraordinary for many reasons. Thirteen years after the Nakba and the creation of the Israeli state, the idea of Palestinian nationalism and identity was still in flux. The Palestinian Liberation Organization wouldn’t be founded until 1964. The Six-Days War and the seizure of Sinai, Gaza, East Jerusalem,…

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