Gehan Selim – författare

Northern Ireland has a complex urbanism with multilayered socio-spatial politics. In this environment, issues of communication, self-representation and expression of identity are central to the experience of urban space and architecture where the dichotomy of division and shared living are spatially exercised in everyday life. Unlike other studies in the area, this book focuses on the everyday experiences of local communities in both public and private spheres - issues of ‘shareness’ - challenging conventional approaches to divided cities. The book aims to layer its narratives of architectural and social developments as an urban experience in post-conflict settings over the past two decades.

Ecomuseums, founded on the radical principle of community-led heritage, have transformed preservation practices across the globe. But what happens when this bottom-up model encounters a millennia-old, top-down social system? Ecomuseums and Living Heritage in China moves beyond theoretical debate to present a groundbreaking, empirical study of this very clash.This book narrates the compelling story of Malanyu, a community descended from the caretakers of the Qing Imperial Tombs. For centuries, these guardians preserved a sacred landscape through ritual and stewardship; today, their descendants are reclaiming that legacy by building their own ecomuseum. Through rich oral histories and participatory action research, the authors document this community’s journey to navigate state authority, revitalize collective memory, and assert its identity. The book offers a critical lens on heritage management in the Global South. It challenges the dominance of state-led, material-focused preservation by demonstrating how living heritage practices can foster sustainable and inclusive development. By bridging historical vernacular traditions with contemporary urbanist concerns, the book provides a new practical framework for community participation, specifically designed for the Chinese context but with profound implications for similar settings worldwide.Essential reading for scholars and practitioners in architecture and heritage studies, this work shows that heritage is not a relic to be preserved, but a dynamic process to be lived, a powerful negotiation of memory, identity, and place.

Northern Ireland has a complex urbanism with multilayered socio-spatial politics. In this environment, issues of communication, self-representation and expression of identity are central to the experience of urban space and architecture where the dichotomy of division and shared living are spatially exercised in everyday life. Unlike other studies in the area, this book focuses on the everyday experiences of local communities in both public and private spheres - issues of ‘shareness’ - challenging conventional approaches to divided cities. The book aims to layer its narratives of architectural and social developments as an urban experience in post-conflict settings over the past two decades.

The Emerging Politics of (Re) making Cairo's Old Quarters examines postcolonial planning practices that aimed to modernise Cairo’s urban spaces. The author examines the expanding field of postcolonial urbanism by linking the state’s political ideologies and systems of governance with methods of spatial representations that aimed to transform the urban realm in Cairo. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the study draws on planning, history and politics to develop a distinctive account of postcolonial planning in Cairo following Egypt’s 1952 revolution. The book widely connects the ideological role of a different type of politicised urbanism practised during the days of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak and the overarching policies, institutions and attitudes involved in the visions for (re) building a new nation in Egypt.By examining the notion of remaking urban spaces, the study interprets the ambitions and powers of state policies for improving the spatial qualities of Cairo’s old districts since the early 20th century. These acts are situated in their spatial, political and historical contexts of Cairo’s heterogeneous old quarters and urban spaces particularly the remaking of one of the city’s older quarts named Bulaq Abul Ela established during the Ottoman rule in the thirteenth century. It therefore writes, in a chronological sequence, a narrative through time and space connecting various layers of historical and contemporary political phases for remaking Bulaq. The endeavor is to explain this process from a spatial perspective in terms of the implications and consequences not only on places, but also on the people’s everyday practices. By deeply investigating the problems and consequences; the strengths and weaknesses; and the state’s reliability to achieve the remaking objectives, the book reveals evidence that shifting forms of governance had anchored planning practices into a narrow path of creativity and responsive planning.