Migration and Oil-Centric Life: A Study on Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun

Abstract

The oil narratives bring in a gamut of perspectives that would redefine the outlook of life. Modern life is embedded in the discovery of oil and the usage of hydrocarbon fuels. Petrofiction offers a scope for understanding the representation of oil aesthetics in literature. The research paper aims to critically expound the transformation after the sudden boom of wealth in Kuwait due to the discovery of oil, and the migration of Palestine refugees from Iraqi camps to Kuwait in search of jobs to upgrade their living conditions with reference to Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani. The study authenticates the oil-centric life in Men in the Sun by understanding that oil is the base structure that governs the “push”, “pressure” and “stay” factors of a refugee in flight with theoretical support of kinetic model of exile, displacement and resettlement as proposed by Egon F. Kunz.

Keywords

• oil-centric
• migration
• refugees
• oil narratives
• palestine refugees
• petrofiction