Devora Neumark on 'domicide'

Aerial view - Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan

Porteous and Smith (2001) coined the term 'domicide' for the intentional destruction of one’s home by another. Domicide, or even the possibility of it, causes significant psychological effects yet it remains an understudied phenomenon. We know little about the effects on children and families as a social system.

"Art that has emerged across Canada over the past ten years dealing with the struggles for and about home has been predominantly the work of indigenous artists and immigrants to Canada who are familiar with forced displacement," writes Quebec artist Devora Neumark. Invited to present a talk at OCAD recently, Neumark spoke about her work in the context of the "problematics of belonging" and the relationship of home beautification to one's sense of narrative continuity.