After 1948, hundreds of Palestinians villages were destroyed, and their inhabitants became refugees. The remains of these villages - usually no more than a tombstone, a mosque or a few stone walls - are kept hidden from public view, they are never marked, and they disappeared off Israeli maps. Mountains, valleys and historical sites were all renamed in Hebrew in a massive campaign in the 1950's. The Palestinian map was kept alive through the memories of refugees and the work of historians, geographers, writers and political activists. Lately, a Israeli group called 'Zochrot' started posting signs in Arabic and Hebrew commemorating these destroyed villages, in an attempt to increase Israeli awareness to the tragedy of 1948, the Palestinian 'Nakbah'. This talk will discuss the work of 'Zochrot' and the politics of naming as it is manifested on signs and maps in Israel/Palestine. The talk will also discuss the conceptual geographies which Jews and Arabs had, before Zionism and the British mandate; and about the adoption of the north-south Western geographical map as a political symbol, by both sides of this conflict.

56a Infoshop, 56 Crampton St, London SE17 at 7.30pm
Bus or Tube to Elephant + Castle or Kennington

Part of YOU ARE HERE BUT WHY? A Free Festival of Mapping...programme of events on website above.