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Thinking Arab women's spatiality: the case of ‘ mutanazahat’ in Nablus, Palestine

2013; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 21; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/0966369x.2013.817969

1360-0524

Mokarram Abbas, Bas van Heur,

Middle East Politics and Society

AbstractThis article aims to develop our understanding of Arab women's spatiality. It highlights the effect of the embedded culture and the physical environment on shaping women's urban experiences. Drawing on feminist geographic and planning theory, this article develops an analytical framework to think women's spatial options and behaviours. The remainder of the article presents empirical research on two outdoor public spaces in the city of Nablus, Palestine, and analyses the use of these spaces by Nablusi women. It is concluded that three factors – space audience, spatial opportunities and space organisation – affect their perception of space, which in turn shapes and constructs their spatial options and behaviours.Pensar la espacialidad de las mujeres árabes - el caso de mutanazahat en Nablus, PalestinaEste artículo apunta a desarrollar nuestra comprensión de la espacialidad de las mujeres árabes. Destaca el efecto de la cultura inserta y el ambiente físico en la conformación de las experiencias urbanas de las mujeres. Basado en la geografía feminista y la teoría de la planificación, el artículo desarrolla un marco analítico para pensar las opciones y los comportamientos espaciales de las mujeres. La parte restante del artículo presenta investigación empírica sobre dos espacios públicos exteriores en la ciudad de Nablus, Palestina, y analiza el uso de estos espacios por parte de las mujeres nablusis. Concluye que tres factores – la audiencia del espacio, las oportunidades espaciales y la organización del espacio – afectan su percepción del espacio, lo que a su vez da forma y construye sus opciones y comportamientos espaciales.思考阿拉伯女性的空间性——巴勒斯坦纳布卢斯中休閒空间(mutanazahat)的案例研究本文旨在建立我们对阿拉伯女性的空间性之理解。本文凸显镶嵌的文化与建成环境对形塑女性城市经验的影响。本文运用女性主义地理学与规划理论,建构一个分析框架,以思考女性的空间选择及行为。本文其馀部分将呈现巴勒斯坦的纳布卢斯城市中,两座户外公共空间的经验研究,并分析纳布卢斯女性如何使用这些空间。本文在结论中指出,空间观众、空间契机与空间组织这三大要素,影响了她们对空间的感知,并回头形塑、建构了她们的空间选择及行为。Keywords:: women's spatialitysemi-public spacesfeminist theoryPalestinemutanazahatPalabras claves:: espacialidad de las mujeresespacios semi-públicosteoría feministaPalestinamutanazahat关键词::: 女性的空间性半公共空间女性主义理论巴勒斯坦休閒空间 (mutanazahat) AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments and suggestions that have greatly improved the quality of the article. Special thanks to Eric Corijn, Hilde Heynen and Ahmed Khan for their comments on earlier drafts of this article.Notes1. According to Madanipour (Citation2003, 239), the function of semi-private/public spaces is to provide a place where specific groups of urban residents can meet in isolation from other urban citizens. These spaces are important as these provide a level of distinction as well as opportunities for interpersonal exchange in an anonymous urban world. Semi-private/public spaces are characterised by their limited accessibility created through particular types of exclusionary design.2. This information is based on the memory of the employees of Nablus Municipality.3. Lofland (Citation1998, 14) argues that 'a parochial realm exists when the dominating relational form found in some physical spaces is communal'. Accordingly, in this article, female parochial spaces refer to spaces where the dominating users are women.Additional informationNotes on contributorsMokarram AbbasMokarram Abbas is an architect, researcher and a Ph.D. candidate in the Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and in the Department of Architecture, Urban Design and Regional Planning, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. The general scope of her research is women and public spaces. She discusses the urban experiences of Arab women through the varied constraints they are facing on a daily basis. Her current research is about examining the basics of an alternative design model that is compatible with the socio-spatial needs of Palestinian women.Bas van HeurBas van Heur is an assistant professor of social geography at the Department of Geography, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, and co-director of the Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research. His main research interest is in the politics of urban development and the role of research in engaging with and analysing urban development strategies and their effects. Most of his recent empirical research is on the cultural/creative industries, urban policy and the role of higher education in urban and regional development.