From Scroll to Page: Instagram Paratexts, Standpoint, and Poetic Personae in Contemporary Palestinian Poetry

Author Information

Roseanne Farhat, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany
Beatrice Gruendler, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany

Abstract

This paper examines how Instagram’s paratextual environments shape authorial voice, epistemic authority, and literary reception in contemporary Palestinian poetry. Drawing on the case of Nadine Alaloul — a poet whose initial literary production unfolded on Instagram and later in print — I argue that digital paratexts (captions, profiles, hashtags, imagery) function not merely as contextual addenda but as interpretive thresholds that mediate how poetic voice is constructed, encountered, and understood. Grounded in standpoint theory, paratext theory, and persona studies, the analysis foregrounds how Alaloul’s mediated self-presentation — oriented around themes of healing, self-reflection, and embodied vulnerability — cultivates affective networks that both validate her epistemic position and shape reader interpretation. In contrast to traditional literary contexts that privilege fixed authorial identities, Instagram’s affordances distribute agency across textual, visual, and social dimensions, destabilizing conventional boundaries between author, text, and audience. By tracing the interplay between Instagram paratexts and Alaloul’s print work, this paper contributes to understanding how digital platforms reframe poetic practice as a site where standpoint, persona, and affect coalesce into a mode of cultural expression with broader implications for literary studies and digital humanities. The discussion advances interdisciplinary insights into how literature and new media intersect, resonating with contemporary debates on authorship, identity, and creative labour in the arts and humanities.

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