Rivera Betancourt, Loida E

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Dinah's rape as narrative and ideological crossroads: A revisionist critique and alternate outcome
(2024-05-14) Rivera Betancourt, Loida E; Stephen, Gregory K.; College of Arts and Sciences - Art; Irizarry Rodriguez, Jose; Cordero Rios, Hugo; Department of English; Rodriguez, Grisell
Dinah’s Alternative Narrative was developed as an exercise for writing fiction starting with the Bible as literature. The story presents a different ending: the marriage of Dinah and Shechem. This alternative outcome provides a rescue of Dinah’s voice, that empowers her to decide what to do with her life and with whom. The narrative reverses the misogynistic and xenophobic intervention of Dinah’s brothers. I consider this story as a watershed in Hebrew identity as held by the Priestly/Redactor version of Genesis 34 that has been regarded as the official version. Dinah’s empowerment as qedeshah is a challenge thrown to a term in ancient Israel weighted with misconceptions and prejudice created by the Priestly/Redactor in a Deuteronomic context, against the cultic functions of these women and exclude them from Temple service. To convey a plausible and realistic narrative, I considered the latest biblical scholarship, including feminist studies, archeological, ethnographic, and linguistic inputs