"Made Public" is a meticulous exploration into the fate of Palestinian photographs captured in Israeli archives. These images, taken from Palestinian homes, fallen Palestinian individuals, or aerial views of Palestinian villages, offer a glimpse into Palestine's history and the life of its people. The book showcases high-quality, rare photographs, including aerial shots that reconstruct the landscapes of destroyed Palestinian villages.
This research delves into the Israeli military's methods of collecting and preserving visual data about Palestinians during the 20th century. It reveals how military archives dominated and manipulated this information, mirroring the tactics of colonial powers, but with more sophistication.
Dr. Rona Sela, a curator and researcher of visual history, uncovers how this information was gathered for intelligence and military purposes. Official bodies looted materials from various sources, including archives, homes, and individuals, for domination and occupation. These materials, relevant to Palestinians yet controlled by oppressive colonial structures, face censorship, restricted access, and manipulative interpretation.
About the author:
Rona Sela is a curator, researcher of visual history and culture, and a lecturer at Tel Aviv University. Since 1996, she has been conducting research on the history of colonial Zionist/Israeli photography and archives, Palestinian photography, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, colonial looting and plunder, archives under occupation, Palestinian photography, and Nakba images/Palestinian visual history in Israeli archives.
