While it seems tedious to evoke capital in the face of every crisis, capitalism left us little space to breathe. 

As we sit in the comfort of our homes due to the spread of the COVID-19, we attempt to open up a conversation on the role of urbanisation- as an instrument of capital accumulation- in the proliferation of this virus. We will also address the implications of the quarantine enforced in response to the pandemic for the working class and marginalised communities, especially in regard to shelter and public space. 

The talk will be held in Arabic. 

Jana Nakhal is an independent researcher, urban planner and feminist. She writes for “Al-Safir”, “Al-Akhbar” and “Al-Adab” magazine, in addition to “Awan” and “Raseef 22”. She organises the "City and Capital" tours as a way of initiating public discussions about the Lebanese Authority's relationship to public space, the real estate market, and spatial exclusion. Her research spans place and gender, women's cooperatives, and discrimination against women in the workplace in Lebanon. She is currently finishing her doctorate in Anthropology, looking at the influence of colonial thought and modernity on cultural, agricultural and architectural heritage in the countryside of Bilad al Sham.