Remaking Home After Displacement: A Case Study From Egyptian Nubia

For centuries, the Nubians lived between the First and Fourth Cataracts of the Nile as an ethno-linguistic group united by their language, customs and distinctive architecture. However, the construction of the High Dam in 1964 forced the displacement of Nubians from their homeland to another location completely different to the environment in which the Nubian culture arose and developed. In this research I examine the daily life in the Nubian village Abu Hor in Old and New Nubia as a case study to explore how the Nubians tried to regain the sense og being-at-home in the aftermath of their displacement. I use auto-ethnographic tools to explore the material and social techniques they had developed to create a sense of home in New Nubia. The research demonstrates how the displacement of Nubians and the changing spatial context have deeply affected their culture, and how they used and adapted their culture to overcome alienation feelings and displacement by remaking their homes and homeland in the new settlement.