@article{article_1757053, title={The Pen Against the Bullet: Refaat Alareer and the Spirit of Cultural Resistance in Gaza}, journal={Bulletin of Palestine Studies}, pages={379–396}, year={2025}, DOI={10.34230/fiad.1757053}, url={https://izlik.org/JA56KG96HN}, author={Ramadan, Hany}, keywords={Palestine, Gaza, Palestinian literature, resistance literature, cultural resistance, occupation and identity, Refaat Alareer.}, abstract={This study investigates the cultural resistance embodied in the literary and academic contributions of Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer (1979–2023) as a potent response to the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip. It situates literature within an existential framework of defiance, positioning Alareer as a prominent voice within the broader tradition of Palestinian resistance literature—from Ghassan Kanafani to contemporary figures. While Palestinian resistance literature has been widely examined, scholarly engagement with Alareer’s literary and pedagogical practices remains scarce, despite the global recognition he received following the 2023 republication of his poem If I Must Die. This research addresses this gap by exploring how Alareer integrated creative writing, oral heritage, and critical pedagogy as tools to counter colonial narratives and preserve Palestinian identity. The significance of the study lies in presenting one of the first comprehensive academic accounts of Alareer’s intellectual legacy, thereby contributing both to the documentation of Palestinian cultural history and to the theoretical expansion of resistance literature as a field of inquiry. The research is guided by a central question: how can literature serve as an effective tool of resistance under conditions of protracted siege, systemic violence, and attempted erasure? Methodologically, the study employs a descriptive–analytical approach and discourse analysis to examine Alareer’s cultural and political responsibility, situating his work within postcolonial theory and the wider field of resistance literature. The findings reveal that Alareer’s work transcends mere documentation, constituting a counter-discourse that dismantles colonial misrepresentations and affirms Palestinian identity across linguistic and cultural domains. Ultimately, the study underscores the enduring power of cultural expression as a means of survival, solidarity, and resistance in Gaza.}, number={18}