Grounded Assertions in 1/1000th of a Dunam: Soil as a Site for Collective Memory and Decolonial Disruption

Abstract

<p><em>1/1000th of a Dunam </em>is a multimedia exhibition exploring Palestinian assertions of belonging through the site of soil, an epistemic space where land and belonging are imagined, where in reality they have been denied. For many Palestinians who keep a handful of soil with them across the diaspora, soil acts as a material stand-in for the nonmaterial memories tying them to home. This persistent refusal to forget plays a key role in resisting the settler-colonial impetus to sever ties between Palestinians and the land. In the face of Israeli denial of both Palestinian histories and futures, the project <em>1/1000th of a Dunam </em>looks at one way that memory is revived and attachment to land renewed: through the symbolism and materiality of Palestinian soil. </p>