Ruptured Domesticity is a homage to all Iraqis still with us and those whose lives were lost over decades of wars and destruction in the country. The maps, projects, case studies and data collected for this research share common roots: they have surfaced out of strenuous conditions, such as trauma, violence, and forced displacement. The project sheds light onto people’s creative responses to these extreme conditions in search for refuge.
This work is the culmination of a decade’s worth of research into the uncertainty, dynamism, incompleteness and messiness of sudden changes to the built environment inflicted by war, conflict, displacement or any other major crisis. These sudden changes not only alter the built environment but also demand that those affected respond by adapting and modifying their way of life, creating new spatial practices that hinge on the concept of refuge. This research gives voice and visual presence to the spatial practices of refuge produced by Iraqis in times of war, conflict and displacement.
This three-part project is created by
Dr Sana Murrani in collaboration with 15 Iraqis from across Iraq who shared their stories of survival and resilience over the 20 years since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. The project was generously funded by the British Academy (British Institute for the Study of Iraq), the LSE Middle East Centre, and the AHRC Impact Accelerator Account at University of Plymouth.
University of Plymouth
Bloomsbury Publishing
The British Institute for the Study of Iraq
LSE Middle East Centre