Eco-memory and the Retelling of the Jordan River

Keywords: settler colonialism, indigenous studies, environmental justice, decolonization
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

Weaving together archival documents and oral history to retrace the landscape of the
Jordan River from 1848 to current day. The Jordan River was a flourishing river, providing life
and sustenance to Indigenous Palestinians. A sacred site and a life source the river was a part of
Palestinian traditional ecological knowledge and spiritual practices. By retelling and reclaiming
the stories that have been passed down in my family history, I argue that the construction the
dam in the 1960s and the national water carrier project lead to a destruction of the river by the
settler state. The fight over water, the control and expansion of and by the zionist state slowly
constructs a river that becomes embedded within the carceral landscape. The Jordan River goes
from sacred site, a natural border between Jordan and Palestine, to a militarized border. As the
colonization of the River takes place, the stories, and memories shift the river becomes an
important examination of settler colonialism and the expansion of the zionist state. The river
becomes central in controlling the landscape and erasing the memory of both migration, the river
itself, and the history of Palestinians around the river. As a result, the Jordan River is now at
some of the lowest water levels, leading to further ecological disaster to the region. Thus, as a
displaced Palestinian, the refusal to let go of the memory of river and the liberation of our
homeland becomes central to the question of Palestine and return.