Today there are much more exciting terms to focus on than *sustainability; a word that over recent decades has emerged from the global environmental, economic and social crises and is currently in the spotlight of many project proposals as a sort of “promise for a better world”. Despite the wisdom that sustainability aims to introduce in governance policies, it has become as emptied as any other concept able to open the pockets of funders, particularly in difficult contexts such as Palestine, where any initiative is easily deviated toward a humanitarian discourse.

In this publication, we approached sustainability as a “strategy of maintenance”, present in any dimension of daily life in Palestinian refugee camps, from the simplest personal experience to the complexity of community relations.

Contributors: Qussay Abu Aker, Ahmad Al-Lahham, Bisan Al-Jaffarri, Diego Segatto.

*The Collective Dictionary is a series of publications containing definitions of concepts. The terms proposed are those considered fundamental for the understanding of the contemporary condition of Palestinian refugee camps. These words have emerged as a result of actions and active dialogs with the camp community. Written reflections on personal experiences, interviews, excursions and photographic investigations constitute the starting point for the formulation of more structured thoughts. The Collective Dictionary is both the reference and conceptual framework for all Campus in Camps projects and interventions.