Ahlam Shibli's 'Death' Examines Martyrdom and Social Space in Nablus

Published in Afterall issue 32 on 16 February 2013, this essay analyzes Ahlam Shibli's photographic series 'Death' (2011–12), which investigates the social construction of martyrdom and heroism in Nablus during and after the Second Intifada. The series comprises 68 photographs exploring how martyrs and prisoners are represented in public and private spaces, from streets and cemeteries to family salons. Shibli's work juxtaposes the dense refugee camps of Balata and 'Ala'in with the modern city, revealing layers of political and social contention. The essay notes that on 29 September 2003, Nablus governor Mahmud Al-Alul reported 425 Palestinians killed, 5,260 wounded, over 7,000 detained, and 1,350 still in Israeli prisons. Shibli's photographs document posters, graffiti, shrines, and tombstones that glorify armed resistance, while also capturing prisoners' emotional letters and the domestic shrines created by mothers. The series critiques the hegemony of militant heroism, showing how it overshadows other forms of valor and shapes gender roles, particularly the contrasting representations of male and female martyrs. Shibli's earlier works—'Arab al-Sbaih' (2007), 'Trackers' (2005), 'Goter' (2002–03), 'Trauma' (2008–09), and 'Dom Dziecka' (2008)—similarly address displacement and resistance. The essay argues that 'Death' transcends straightforward narration, positioning viewers in a polemical discourse on love, heroism, and social ethics.