Articulations: Settler Colonialism, Dispossession and Arts
Hashem Abushama is generally interested in questions pertaining to modernity, dispossession and arts. His most recent research explores the relationship between cultural production, urban expansion/renewal, settler colonialism, and late capitalism in the post-Oslo historical conjuncture in historic Palestine. Using in-depth interviews with Palestinian artists, archival materials, and audio-visual materials, the project traces the journeys of Palestinian artists as they navigate the complex terrains shaping the urban fabrics of two cities: Haifa in the north of historic Palestine (today’s Israel) and Ramallah in central West Bank. The project contributes to urban studies and cultural studies. In a second project Abushama examines the relationship between the Dada-Zurich arts movement and colonial circuits of stolen artworks in the early decades of the twentieth century.