Mapping the Arab Diaspora: Examining Placelessness and Memory in Arab Art
Abstract
Currently, the Middle East is experiencing adversity and instability due to political upheaval, war, and mass displacement, and has become the focus of international attention. This project investigates the ways contemporary Arab art utilizes creative expression to allow Arab diasporas and non-diasporas to negotiate their identities, promote collective memory, and reconcile fragmented and traumatic experiences. This investigation comprises a discussion of discourses regarding defining “diaspora,” “home” and “placelessness,” identity and popular media, contemporary Arab art, collective memory, and, briefly, temporality. The diversity of terms and histories are a testament to the impossibility of exploring diasporic conditions in a simple and straightforward way.