Jihan Zakarriya

Memory As Action: Humanism and Political Forgiveness in the Autobiographies of Nelson Mandela and Edward Said Jihan Zakarriya

This monograph is the first long study to be published by the author. It is an independent study of the similarities of the uses of humanism and political forgiveness in areas of conflict like South Africa and Palestine, as represented in the autobiographies of Nelson Mandela and Edward Said, who are seen as freedom fighters. The autobiographies of Mandela and Said not only commemorate the sufferings of oppressed South Africans and Palestinians, but also try to figure out new notions of citizenship and co-existence. Thus, the construction of the shared memory against apartheid and racism in two autobiographies reshaped values and prompts future action based on practical ideas and nonviolent resistance.