Abstract
This study explores the spatial practices of Palestinian children in refugee camps, where the Israeli politics of dispossession and marginalization have produced spaces of control, restrictions, and insecurity, continue to make the life of the children very difficult. Within these constrained conditions, play emerges as a spatial strategy of adaptation and a subtle form of resistance. The research plays a role in engaging and contributing with the political, social and spatial complexities of refugee camps, using architecture as both a critical lens and a witness to injustice. It argues that children’s spatial practices in Qalandiya offer valuable insights into the role of architecture and urbanism. To address the central question of how do children in refugee camps cater for their need to play within the limited restricted spaces, the study employed a mixed methodology, involves gathering data through a literature review, onsite observation, mapping and children’s drawings, drawn purposely for this study, as an expressive channel to allow them to express their inner stories in Qalandiya spaces. In April 2025, 35 children (aged 6-12) were recruited and asked to depict their existing play spaces. The drawings were analyzed thematically to trace patterns of spatial use, and adaptation. Findings reveal that structural and political violence manifest not only through material deprivation but also through spatial confinement. Children often play in narrow alleys, rooftops, and improvised vacant lots, redefining these spaces through creativity and resilience. These patterns demonstrate how play operates as a means of reconfiguring the spatial realities of the camp.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS, DEPRIVATION, ISRAELI OCCUPATION, SPATIAL PRACTICES
