EXPLORING KENAN’S DILEMMAS TOWARD NATIONALISM IN AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW
Keywords:
Dilemmas, Nationalism, Syrian Civil War.Abstract
Nationalism, particularly during war, reaches its upheaval through the lives of civilians who are threatened and yet remain loyal to their country. Incorporating qualitative methods and critical analysis, this research examines the book As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh to explore Kenan's character and the dilemmas he faced in leaving his country during the Syrian Civil War. The objective of this study is to interpret how Kenan's drive for survival, his responsibilities as a husband and eldest brother, and his growing awareness of the atrocities of war can contribute to his nationalism. The research scrutinizes his character as a loyal Syrian civilian faced with the difficult choice of surviving or fleeing the war and becoming a refugee while maintaining his love for Syria. The findings reveal that Kenan's sense of nationalism may influence his final stance to overcome his desire to stay. In Kenan's case, staying meant sacrificing more of his loved ones, so he embraced the chance to flee yet remain bound as a proud Syrian citizen wherever he was. This study argues that nationalism is not limited to the country's location. Kenan's character builds a family-priority perspective, while nationalism becomes part of his enduring identity.References
Ackerman, B. (2023). Afterword: European dilemmas. In The Legitimacy of European Constitutional Orders (pp. 304–325). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803928890.00023
Ahmad, T. (2020). The Enduring “Arab Spring”: Change and Resistance. Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, 15(2), 91–107. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48630168
Alatrash, G., & Abed Alsamad, N. (2020). On Understanding Syrian Diasporic Identities through a Selection of Syrian Literary Works. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 15(2), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.20355/jcie29373
Aldoughli, R. (2024). ‘Loyalism’ as masculinist identity politics: navigating the use of symbolic discourse in the Syrian war. Contemporary Levant, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/20581831.2024.2374213
Aliyya, E. M. (2024). Salama Kassab’s Personality in as long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim.
Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso.
Armstrong, J., & Trundle, M. (2019). Brill’s Companion to Sieges in the Ancient Mediterranean. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004413740
Biçer, R. s S., & Ca?in, M. H. (2018). Rise and Fall of Isis – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) Terrorist Organization; An International Contagious Virus in the New World Order? Florya Chronicles of Political Economy, 4(1), 1–35.
Brah, A. (2005). Cartographies of Diaspora. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203974919
Butler, J. (2004). Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence. Verso.
Chariandy, D. (2006). Postcolonial Diasporas. Postcolonial Text, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.63260/PT.V2I1.440
Christensen, A.-D., & Kyed, M. (2022). From military to militarizing masculinities. NORMA, 17(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2022.2028428
Clapham, C., & Philip, G. (2021). The Political Dilemmas of Military Regimes. In C. Clapham & G. Philip (Eds.), The Political Dilemmas of Military Regimes. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003147022
Cohen, M. (2007). 101 Ethical Dilemmas. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203963173
Crocker, J., Canevello, A., & Brown, A. A. (2017). Social Motivation: Costs and Benefits of Selfishness and Otherishness. Annual Review of Psychology, 68(1), 299–325. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044145
Figar, N., & ?or?evi?, B. (2016). Managing an Ethical Dilemma. Economic Themes, 54(3), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1515/ethemes-2016-0017
Geis, & Schlag. (2017). ‘The facts cannot be denied’: legitimacy, war and the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Global Discourse, 7(2), 285–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2017.1288488
Harris, Erika. (2009). Nationalism?: theories and cases. Edinburgh University Press.
Haycox, H. (2023). Policy paradoxes and the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme: How welfare policies impact resettlement support. Critical Social Policy, 43(1), 76–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/02610183221088532
Hedges, C. (2002). War is A Force that Gives Us Meaning. PublicAffairs.
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
Kalyvas, S. N. (2006). The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge University.
Kassab, S. (2018). Justice in Syria: Individual Criminal Liability for Highest Officials in the Assad Regime. Michigan Journal of International Law, 39(2), 283–300. https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjil/vol39/iss2/5
Katouh, Z. (2022). As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. BLOOMSBURY.
Komorita, S. S., & Parks, C. D. (2019). Social Dilemmas. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429497292
Kuzio, T. (2022). Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War (1st ed.). Routledge.
Latumeten, A. A. T., & Nofansyah. (2024). THE LEMON TREES AND THE SYRIAN HOMELAND: AN ECOCRITICAL READING OF ZOULFA KATOUH’S AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW. Prologue: Journal on Language and Literature, 10(2).
Loewenberg, F. M. (1992). Notes on ethical dilemmas in wartime: experiences of Israeli social workers during Operation Desert Shield. International Social Work, 35(4), 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/002087289203500405
Machmuri, A. R., Nurulaen, Y., & Priyawan, P. (2025). Romance Formula in Zoulfa Katouh’s Novel As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow. ELS-JISH, 8(1), 224–234.
Malkki, L. H. (1995). Purity and Exile: Violence, Memory, and National Cosmology Among Hutu Refugees in Tanzania. The University of Chicago Press.
Marantika, G. J., & Litaay, A. G. M. (2024). Salama’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Zoulfa Katouh’s As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. UNCOLLCS: PROCEEDING RESEARCH ON LITERARY, LINGUISTIC, AND CULTURAL STUDIES, 3(1), 544–554.
McNatt, Z., & Boothby, N. (2018). IMPACT OF SEPARATION ON REFUGEE FAMILIES: SYRIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN. https://www.unhcr.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2018/06/CH_Impact-of-Separation-on-Refugee-Families.pdf
Mearsheimer, J. J. (2021). Liberalism and Nationalism in Contemporary America. PS: Political Science & Politics, 54(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096520001808
Moalusi, K. (2020). Numbers conceal the intricacies in categorising qualitative research in organisational studies: What lies beneath the surface? SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46, 3–4. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1692
Murod, A. C. (2011). Nasionalisme “Dalam Perspektif Islam.” Jurnal Sejarah CITRA LEKHA, XVI(2), 45–58.
Najjar, J., Splavski, B., Rotim, K., & Arnautovic, K. I. (2020). Letter: Neurosurgery in the Besieged City of Homs During the Syrian War. Neurosurgery, 86(6), E575–E578. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyz571
Nora, P. (1989). Between Memory and History: Les Lieux de Mémoire. Representations, 26, 7–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/2928520
Othman, Z., & Abdul Hamid, F. Z. (2018). Dealing with Un(Expected) Ethical Dilemma: Experience from the Field. The Qualitative Report, 23(4). https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3050
Pashiardis, P. (1995). Problem and Dilemma Identification in the Decision-Making Process. International Journal of Educational Reform, 4(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/105678799500400106
Schulzke, M. (2013). ETHICALLY INSOLUBLE DILEMMAS IN WAR. Journal of Military Ethics, 12(2), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/15027570.2013.818406
Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (1988). Moral dilemmas (Vol. 39, Issue 155). Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.2307/2219643
Solymari, D., & Gibarti, S. (2023). Migration motivation and psychosocial issues of Internally Displaced People: A close-up from Homs, Syria. Journal of Regional Security, 18(1), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.5937/jrs18-40300
Treurniet, W., & Wolbers, J. (2021). Codifying a crisis: Progressing from information sharing to distributed decision?making. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 29(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12323
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Random House.
Van Lange, P. A. M., Joireman, J., Parks, C. D., & Van Dijk, E. (2013). The psychology of social dilemmas: A review. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 120(2), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.11.003
Wood, W. B. (1994). Forced Migration: Local Conflicts and International Dilemmas. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 84(4), 607–634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1994.tb01879.x
Y?ld?z, F. (2017). The Dark Side of Syrian Refugee Crisis: Child, Early and Forced Marriage in the Case of Turkey. E-Journal of Law, 3(1), 39–66.
