For this assignment, I read "The Geopolitics of Dust" by Aya Nassar.  In this essay, Nassar interrogates the manner in which cities rise, fall, and rise again.  She examines "dust" as a literal element that sometimes gradually accumulates and at other times represents the aftermath of destruction.  However, she also examines dust as a figurative element representing the passage of time and the nature of change itself.  Thus, Nassar utilizes the city, specifically Cairo, as the colonial space.  She marvels at the fascination with Tahrir Square while many ignore the massive changes that have taken place in the vast city since 2011.  This focus is often driven by a western narrative that fails to address the timelessness and eternal nature of Cairo.  To further develop her position, she refers to the characterization of Baghdad in Index and Memorabilia Museum, a Facebook page created by Hossam Elwan.  In both of these cases, the creators have given voice to the inanimate and, in turn, restored agency to the people of these spaces.  Nassar explores the ways in which story-telling and perception can decolonize space.