Temporality, nationalism and the territorialisation of public space : Commemorational presences in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Summary, in English

In this article, I investigate how material strategies of commemoration are part of the recategorisation of public space in a series of nationalistic projects in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. I look especially at the different ways in which these commemorative territories are made present, and the specific view of history that these presences entail. The studied cases include for example the transformation of a public square into a ‘memorial square’ (Rabin Square), of a religious space into a ‘space of national significance’ (Western Wall Plaza), and of part of an urban district into a ‘archaeological excavation’ and a ‘tourist theme park’ (City of David). In the article, I trace and conceptualise five temporal modalities (or temporal perspectives) and discuss their related material designs. Finally, I discuss how studying these modalities can be fertile for exploring how memorials play a part in producing and stabilising different kinds of nationalist affects and sentiments.

• Author: Mattias Kärrholm
• Department/s: Department of Architecture and Built Environment; Architecture and Culture; LTH Profile Area: Water; MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World; Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
• Publishing year: 2024
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Political Geography
• Volume: 113
• Issue: August
• Full text: - 992 kB; Download statistics
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2024.103142
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Routledge
• Topic: Human Geography
• Status: Published
• Research group: Architecture and Culture
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1873-5096