Mizrahi Memoirs: History, Memory, and Identity in Displacement

Abstract

In this dissertation I analyse the dynamics of history, memory, and identity as represented in the published English-language memoirs of Mizrahim (also known as ‘Middle Eastern Jews’ or ‘Arabic Jews’) who were displaced during the mid- to later-twentieth century from Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. I take a thematic approach, analysing the memoirs through a focus on metaphor, sensescapes, dreams, urban landscapes and sacred sites, as well as the different perspectives of key stakeholders. I demonstrate that the culture wars model is inadequate for the study of the experiences of displacement and dispersal. Rather, I argue that the framework of multidirectional memory (Michael Rothberg), in combination with the notion of screen memory, provides a far more accurate reflection of the memory dynamics represented across this body of texts. I also draw on the concepts of postmemory (Marianne Hirsch) and the ‘off-modern’ (Svetlana Boym) as productive ways of understanding the intergenerational transmission of histories and memories, and the construction of diverse identities in post-displacement life. Furthermore, I show that memory dynamics are multidimensional and are shaped by the senses, emotions, and spirituality. They are multilayered, encompassing diverse experiences of temporality, place, and ontology. They are also highly entangled and interweave different perspectives, power relations, locations, histories, and peoples.

Through examining the dynamics of memories, histories, and identities in published English-language Mizrahi life writing, I seek to contribute to a more accurate understanding of the diversity of Jewish experiences and the complexity of Jewish life and history in a Middle Eastern and North African context. I aim to develop a nuanced understanding of situations of displacement, dispersal, and resettlement. I demonstrate that memoir writing is a crucial genre for recording migratory experiences and transnational histories. This medium provides a vital and powerful tool that can aid in the recovery of psychological wellbeing and emotional resilience among women and men who have been displaced. An improved understanding of memory dynamics as well as the construction of identities and histories is all the more important in this present moment where dangerously simplistic divisions are often made at the expense of equity, diversity, and true human complexity.