Book at Lunchtime had the immense privilege of welcoming Dr Ammar Azzouz (British Academy Research Fellow, Geography) to discuss Domicide: Architecture, War and the Destruction of Home in Syria.
This was a powerful, poignant and emotive discussion with a panel of experts who all come from cities which have experienced destructive wars.
The city of Homs, like so many places in Syria, has suffered mass destruction since the war began in 2011. So far, the architectural response to the crisis has focused on ‘cultural heritage’, ancient architecture, and the external displacement of refugees, often neglecting the everyday lives of Syrians and the buildings that make up their homes and communities. In Domicide, Ammar Azzouz uses the notion of the ‘home’ to address the destruction in cities like Homs, the displacement of Syrian people both externally and internally, and to explore how cities can be rebuilt without causing further damage to the communities that live there. "A deeply moving and clear eyed account of the Syrian conflict from a scholar who has lived its harsh realities on the ground and in exile. Domicide dispels the fiction of a post-conflict Syria, reminding us that the violence continues unabated, just in different configurations, in the wake of war. Azzouz poignantly describes how predatory states weaponize urban reconstruction, enacting new waves of violence in an effort to re-write history and erase communities. Moving us away from the endless mourning of monumental destruction, Domicide tells the bigger story of loss, the deliberate destruction of home." "An important book that impels readers to rethink the entire category and contradictions of heritage work that will uncomfortably challenge all of us seeking to capture a world of conflict." (Lynn Meskell, University of Pennsylvania, US)
Joining Dr Azzouz for the discussion were Professor Gascia Ouzounian (Music) and Professor Zofia Stemplowska (Politics and International Relations)
Watch this astonishing discussion on the TORCH YouTube channel here
