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

New article out in Political Geography here

Abstract: 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.

Western wall (source: Marinmuseet, Karlskrona)

Western Wall, Jerusalem, 1905 (Source: Marinmuseet, Karlskrona)

The Neighbourhood in Pieces: The Fragmentation of Local Public Space in a Swedish Housing Area

New article written together with Johan Wirdelöv in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

In this article, we investigate the transformation of local public spaces in the ethnically and socially diverse housing area Norra Fäladen during 1970–2015. After being built, the area soon faced stigmatization and became known as a problem area. This was followed by a series of investments in local public spaces aiming for a stronger appropriation of the neighbourhood by its inhabitants. The production of a ‘neighbourhood spirit’ has, however, slowly deteriorated over the last two decades. Through the introduction of new areas, with large single‐family houses on the one hand, and a densification of the existing housing stock on the other, the inhabitants’ dependence on the existing (but now decreasing) public spaces within the area has been polarized. Local public spaces are also being increasingly relocated from central parts of the neighbourhood to the peripheries or outside the area. In this article, we investigate how this quite slow, yet steady, transformation has affected the local public spaces and the everyday life of the area.

Fäladstorget. Photo taken on 13 December 2012 from the Church tower. In the background we see the school with the local library. The high‐rise building on the left is an addition from 2011 (photo by Albin Brönmark, reproduced by permission of Bilder…

Fäladstorget. Photo taken on 13 December 2012 from the Church tower. In the background we see the school with the local library. The high‐rise building on the left is an addition from 2011 (photo by Albin Brönmark, reproduced by permission of Bilder i Syd)