A struggle of perspectives. An analysis of space in textual and visual representations of the city of Homs in the midst of siege

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2017-04-18
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en
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In this thesis, I research three different sources representing the space of Homs in the midst of siege. I look at differences and similarities between Marwa al-Sabouni’s book The Battle for Home, photographs on the Facebook page Lens Young Homsi, and drone footage made by Russian media outlet Russia Today. Henri Lefebvre’s and Michel de Certeau’s theories form the basis for my readings of the city space in Homs as it is visualized and described. Lefebvre’s concepts of conceived space, perceived space and lived space and De Certeau’s notions of walker and voyeur are central in my analysis. All three representations of Homs I analyse in this thesis show that during the war spatial structures are disturbed, which causes chaos. Both Lefebvre’s and De Certeau’s notions are reversed or not sufficient. Representations are very subjective. Marwa al-Sabouni and Lens Young Homsi show us another perspective on the war than Russia Today does. All objects of research are struggling to comprehend and assign meaning to the space around them.
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Faculteit der Letteren