Feder, Inspiring for Liberation – Legitimizing for Occupation“1. Does the text have a clear stance against the political imperialism of its
time? 2. Does this text encourage travel to distant and inhabited lands, and if
so, how does it justify itself? 3. How does this text construct difference: Is
there a dialogue and mutual interdependence, or condemnation and re-
placement for all that is foreign? 4. Does this text employ gender representa-
tions to construct relationships of subordination and domination?” (Dube
2004:57).Before going deeper into detail, Dube explains why she refers to the
Exodus and to Joshua. She writes: “The choice to focus on Exodus and
Joshua 1-12, therefore, only serves to highlight the point of departure
from one land, Egypt, mainly covered by Exodus, and the arrival in and
possession of a foreign land, Canaan, vividly idealized and dramatized in
Joshua” (Dube 2004:58). Furthermore, Dube states that the question of
the historicity of the Book of Exodus and Joshua is of no concern for her
literary-rhetorical analysis.
After these introductory remarks, Dube answers the first question men-
tioned above and concludes that slavery hints to imperialistic tendencies.
Although, the story of the Exodus seems to be closely connected to lib-
eration, this liberation is “twined with God’s promise to give them the
land of the Canaanites, the Hittites [...] – an inhabited land!” (Dube
2004:60).
Questions 2 to 4 are discussed in the following paragraph called “Anti-
conquest Ideology in Exodus.” The anti-conquest ideology that Dube
refers to intends to disclose the exploitive act of colonization. It concerns
the question of whether or not traveling from one land to another is
authorized (cf. Dube 2004:60). Furthermore, it calls for an analysis of
how the image of the targeted land and its people and the identity of the
colonizers are constructed (cf. Dube 2004:60). Lastly, it suggests the
investigation of “employing of female gender to articulate relations of
subjugation and domination” (Dube 2004:60f).
Referring to the question if and how traveling is authorized, Dube points
out that “traveling is central to the book of Exodus” (Dube 2004:61).
There is: a) the title of the Book which means “going out”; b) the fact
that at the end of the book the people is still trekking and the targeted
land is not yet reached; and c) several literary-rhetorical hints, like God’s
often repeated order to “Let my people go,” in direct and reported
speech. All of this shows that traveling is one of the main themes of the
Book of Exodus. Traveling to an inhabited land which is meant to be the
land for the Israelites is justified by God himself, since he is the main