RSC seminar, 29 January 2025
RSC Public Seminar Series, Hilary term 2025
Series convened by Professor Tom Scott-Smith and Professor Catherine Briddick
About the seminar
Dr Sana Murrani presented her book, Rupturing Architecture, the first to critically and visually examine the spatial practices of refuge in response to war, violence, and displacement in Iraq from 2003 to 2023. Drawing on her experiences as an Iraqi architect who has lived through wars, UN-imposed sanctions, an invasion, and ongoing violence, Dr Murrani explored how ordinary Iraqis have responded to trauma by creating refuge across homes, urban environments, and border geographies. She shed light on their creative and adaptive practices, offering fresh perspectives on the intersections of domesticity, urbanity, and borders.
The talk explored the methods used in the book, including creative deep mapping, memory work, storytelling, and case studies, and focus on the lived experiences of 15 Iraqis. Their resilience underscores broader themes of spatial justice and feminist spatial practices. Dr Murrani examined rupturing as both a mark of trauma and an act of resistance, shaping spaces of refuge. The talk concluded with a manifesto for spatial justice, advocating for integrated approaches to place, memory, and trauma that resonate globally.