This paper examines how armed conflict impacts the recalibration of Aleppo’s historic urban and cultural fabric, using the Al-Jdeideh quarter as a case study. This article critically reflects on the ongoing (post-)conflict, top-down (post-)reconstruction activities in Aleppo’s historic core, drawing on ethnographic research of visual mapping and semi-structured interviews with current Aleppo dwellers in the city and former dwellers displaced across Europe. Our findings highlight that the current reconstruction activities lack locals’ values and needs, and amplify the altered socio-economic dynamics between the (former) communities’ absence and presence. Therefore, these activities are resulting in a skewed representation of what once was a major hub of culture, commerce, heritage, and everyday life. As such, the paper argues that the current reconstruction attempts lack a comprehensive and context-specific approach, and need to explore more inclusive pathways of human-centered and sustainable recovery.

中文翻译：

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（重新）校准遗产：叙利亚阿勒颇的 Al-Jdeideh（后）冲突转型

本文以 Al-Jdeideh 区作为案例研究，探讨了武装冲突如何影响阿勒颇历史城市和文化结构的重新调整。本文借鉴视觉制图的人种学研究以及对阿勒颇当前居民和流离失所者的半结构化访谈，批判性地反思了阿勒颇历史核心正在进行的（后）冲突、自上而下的（后）重建活动横跨欧洲。我们的研究结果强调，当前的重建活动缺乏当地人的价值观和需求，并放大了（前）社区的缺席和存在之间的社会经济动态变化。因此，这些活动导致了对曾经的文化、商业、遗产和日常生活主要中心的扭曲描述。因此，本文认为，当前的重建尝试缺乏全面且针对具体情况的方法，需要探索更具包容性的以人为本和可持续恢复的路径。