Decolonial {R}evolution: Petrocracy and Geological Modernity from Detroit to Palestine and Back

A decolonial uprising against petrocracy, the intertwined rule of fossil fuels and monotheism, is explored through an anarchaeological, visual, and discourse analysis of excavations at Tell-es-Sultan, a site linked to biblical Jericho. The study compares present-day conditions in the Palestinian refugee camp 'Ein-as-Sultan with Kathleen Kenyon's 1952–1958 excavations, challenging conventional narratives around the site's geological and geopolitical significance. It reveals how displacement, drought, and counterinsurgency create non-continuous spaces of global displacement, exemplified by Detroit's role as a symbol for these fragmented landscapes.

Mirzoeff, N. (2017). Decolonial {R}evolution: Petrocracy and Geological Modernity from Detroit to Palestine and Back. Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures and the Americas, 3(3), 322–343. https://doi.org/10.1163/23523085-00303004