From Shelters to Dwellings: The Dismantling and Reassembling of the Refugee Camp - Paperback

by Ayham Dalal (Author)

The importance of a "dwelling" is often taken for granted - yet it is a human necessity. But how can a shelter within a refugee camp ever become a dwelling? Ayham Dalal investigates this question by bringing "dwelling" to the centre of refugee camps' studies. He argues that the transformation from shelter to dwelling is a creative and imaginative process, in which social relations are carved into space whilst politics, time and materiality are negotiated. The book shows that in order to dwell, refugees have to dismantle the machinery of the camp and reassemble it differently. Drawing on fieldwork in Zaatari camp, Ayham Dalal offers a unique architectural insight into dwelling as a complex human phenomenon situated at heart of our precarious modern living.

Author Biography

Ayham Dalal is an architect, urban planner and artist born and raised in Syria. He holds a PhD in architecture from Technische Universität Berlin and is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the urban studies program at Vassar College in the USA. Between 2018 and 2021, Ayham was part of the CRC1265 "Re-Figurations of Space" at TU Berlin, and a research associate at Ifpo Amman (2017-2021). His research focuses on displacement, mobility, culture, identity and their impact on urban space.