Mada al-Carmel – Arab Center for Applied Social Research is pleased to invite you to the fifth session in its seminar series Urbicide in Gaza: Spatial violence, reconstruction, and resistance.
The project emerged from an effort to understand the targeting of the built environment as an attack on the conditions of collective life and the possibility for its continuation and reproduction. Following previous sessions that examined forms of spatial violence, demolition, and erasure, as well as practices of steadfastness, resistance, and the reproduction of space in the Palestinian context, the upcoming session shifts to an exploration of reconstruction as a social and political process, as opposed to a merely technical response to destruction.
The session is intended to reconnect the discussion of Palestine to the broader Arab space, drawing upon the historical, social, cultural, and political bonds that link it to other societies in
the region. The dialogue centres on people and their experiences in confronting destruction and its aftereffects, along with their efforts to reclaim life, rebuild their environment, and restore social relations, while remaining cognisant of fundamental differences among the political and historical contexts that generated this destruction. The discussion will continue in the closing workshop of the project, which will be dedicated to the reconstruction of Gaza, emphasizing the role of its inhabitants and their visions for its future. Details to be announced at a later date.
Summary of the presentation
Many towns and villages throughout the Arab region are experiencing the ravages of war and destruction, including those in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and the Yemen.
Yet, despite the urgent need for recovery and reconstruction, local communities encounter profound dilemmas during the rebuilding phase: How can recovery take place while the affected societies are still bleeding? Who sets the priorities for reconstruction and funds related projects? How can the participation of local communities be guaranteed, to preclude their marginalisation? And how can the reconstruction process preserve what memory remains of these towns and villages, as well as their tangible and intangible heritage? In this dialogue, we will address some of these questions by focusing on the case of Syria, while highlighting the need to reflect on these issues in a way that promotes the exchange of knowledge between countries across the Arab world.
Event details
Location: Online via Zoom
Date: 4 November 2026, 17:00-18:30 (GMT+2)
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflB0nvJwP6jGP9m2KzwOYWadTeJwdRZHo18qsxkrXZMTCpVw/viewform
Language: Arabic, with simultaneous interpretation into English