Papers by Nisreen Mazzawi
مؤسسة الدراسات الفلسطينية, 2021
This article documents the ḥawākīr of Nazareth. Once widespread in the city, these traditional do... more This article documents the ḥawākīr of Nazareth. Once widespread in the city, these traditional domestic gardens were integral to households of all economic backgrounds. They served as a space for work and socializing, constituted a center of collective (extended family) life, and provided a wide diversity of crops. However, in recent decades ḥawākīr have disappeared rapidly as new houses were built overtop them and residents’ tastes changed. Today people prefer gardens with green lawns and flowers. Intended strictly for recreation and ornament, this new kind of garden acts as a marker of privacy and economic success. We use ethnographic data to provide detailed descriptions of historical and contemporary examples of the traditional garden. The analysis dwells on the resonances between changing practices around and meanings of ḥawākīr and the changing character of the urban landscape, on the value of ḥawākīr as sites of attachment and identity, and on the potential of their revival t...
Insaniyyat Conference
Palestinian Anthropology: Thinking Without a State
Birzeit, Palestine, Janu... more Insaniyyat Conference
Palestinian Anthropology: Thinking Without a State
Birzeit, Palestine, January 2019
Call for Papers
This article documents the hawakır of Nazareth. Once widespread in the city, these traditional do... more This article documents the hawakır of Nazareth. Once widespread in the city, these traditional domestic gardens were integral to households of all economic backgrounds. They served as a space for work and socializing, constituted a center of collective (extended family) life, and provided a wide diversity of crops. However, in recent decades h. aw¯ ak¯ ır have disappeared rapidly as new houses were built overtop them and residents' tastes changed. Today people prefer gardens with green lawns and flowers. Intended strictly for recreation and ornament, this new kind of garden acts as a marker of privacy and economic success. We use ethnographic data to provide detailed descriptions of historical and contemporary examples of the traditional garden. The analysis dwells on the resonances between changing practices around and meanings of h. aw¯ ak¯ ır and the changing character of the urban landscape, on the value of h. aw¯ ak¯ ır as sites of attachment and identity, and on the potential of their revival to generate urban sustainability. This article examines environment and ecology in the urban space of Nazareth through a focus on h. aw¯ ak¯ ır (sing. h. ¯ ak¯ ura), or traditional domestic gardens, as a cultural and ecological institution, and the changes they have undergone in recent decades. 1 We document the process by which h. aw¯ ak¯ ır, which were once a basic element of all or most households in Nazareth, have contracted continuously to the brink of disappearance , without vanishing entirely. Through the biography of these traditional gardens, we trace major transformations in the character of the city's neighborhoods, and res-idents' shifting attitudes toward these upheavals, to unravel the cultural logic that informs haw¯ ak¯ ır. Lastly, dwelling on the intense condensation of the built environment and the rapid shrinkage of green open spaces, our study explores the potential of incorporating a renewed version of h. aw¯ ak¯ ır into a balanced and sustainable future urban development. This ecoanthropological study aspires to broaden the discussion of urban ecology within Palestinian Arab society in Israel, and in Middle Eastern cities more broadly, by showing the relevance of a local cultural tradition to globally circulating ideas of sustainability. Nisreen Mazzawi is a PhD Candidate in the
Call for Papers by Nisreen Mazzawi
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Papers by Nisreen Mazzawi
Palestinian Anthropology: Thinking Without a State
Birzeit, Palestine, January 2019
Call for Papers
Call for Papers by Nisreen Mazzawi
Palestinian Anthropology: Thinking Without a State
Birzeit, Palestine, January 2019
Call for Papers