Laurian Rosa Rosa

This project explores the political, affective, and material dimensions of militarization and redevelopment at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. It pays close attention to the seemingly mundane ways in which militarism becomes intertwined with people’s lives, shaped by dynamics of gender, race, and class. Integrating archival, oral histories, and ethnographic research with GIS and photogrammetry, “Colonial Remains” recounts the social history of Ceiba through the memories of those who lived in the shadows of a military base and now face tourism-led redevelopments imposed from outside. The notion of “remains” foregrounds both the continuities of the colonial logics of militarization and the material/affective ruins that shape everyday life in Ceiba. By integrating 3D reconstructions of photographs and maps with oral histories, this project visibilizes the layered histories of a place where militarism and contemporary development imaginaries intersect (and often conflict) with local social dynamics.