In their article “Port Cities Storytelling: Drawing on Materials of Neglect,” Jun.-Prof. Dr Julia Binter and her colleagues, Yvonne Liao, Olivia Durand, and Helena Lopes, explore how overlooked materials and marginal spaces can reshape our understanding of port cities and their histories.
Focusing on storytelling as a method, the authors show how neglected objects, fragmented archives, and everyday materials carry hidden narratives about colonialism, mobility, and urban life. Rather than relying only on official histories, their approach highlights how meaning emerges from what is incomplete, discarded, or ignored.
The article ultimately argues that these “materials of neglect” are not gaps in knowledge, but productive starting points – offering new ways to rethink port cities as dynamic, layered spaces shaped by multiple voices and histories.