Preserving 'the Enemy's' architecture

Preservation and gentrification in a formerly Palestinian Jerusalem neighbourhood

Bibliographic Data

ID5701147
AuthorsHila Zaban (0000-0002-0472-8387, University of Warwick, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume23
Issue10
Pages961-976
Publication date2017-11-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Heritage Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1352-7258 • E-ISSN: 1470-3610
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13527258.2017.1362576
OpenAlexW2751526707
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited50

This article relates to the preservation of Palestinian buildings in Jerusalem and raises the question why state-sanctioned institutions act to preserve Palestinian architecture built pre-1948, bearing in mind the context of a difficult past and an on-going conflict? The article addresses the manner in which Jerusalem’s authorised heritage discourse focuses only on preserving Palestinian buildings’ tangible aspects (architectural styles), and not on intangible aspects such as the narrative of their builders. The main argument is that while preservation is presented as a civilised practice, it is driven by the commodification of the buildings and sites and their valued ‘authenticity’. The common practice is to ‘preserve’ these buildings by developing them to create more housing units. This practice inevitably leads to gentrification. Moreover, even when intangible aspects of heritage are pushed aside, preserving these buildings comes with the ‘risk’ of them being used as memory sites for subaltern groups. The article focuses on one formerly Palestinian West Jerusalem neighbourhood, Baka, where gentrification was triggered by historic Palestinian homes and where the neighbourhood’s development continues to be linked with historic preservation

Adversary · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Civil engineering · Computer security · Gentrification · Geography · Political science · Sociology · Archaeological Research and Protection · Computer Science · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Engineering · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Architecture

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