Additional Information

Course Number

ANTH527

Course Description

Intentional destruction of cultural heritage is designed to erase the presence of a people in history and has become an all too familiar feature of the devastation wrought by contemporary violence and "ethnic cleansing." Recent cases appear frequently in news headlines and include such well-known examples as the 2001 demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, the 2012 destruction of Sufi shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, and the recent obliteration of historic sites across Syria and Iraq. This course explores this phenomenon by examining such questions as: Why is cultural heritage targeted in conflict? Under what circumstances? By whom? In so doing, we will engage with readings that discuss the historical development of the international laws and norms that aim to protect cultural heritage during conflict and examples successful and unsuccessful humanitarian interventions.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
• Integrity of Research Methodology
• Procedures for Field Survey or Excavation

CIfA Codes

• Principle 2: Responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment
• Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research

Keywords & Terms

• Armed Conflict and Violence
• Conservation
• Culturally Significant and/or Sacred Sites, Objects, and Places
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Looting, Collecting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
• Stewardship

Topics & Issues

• Archaeological Advocacy and Activism
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Destruction of Cultural Heritage
• Ethical Case Studies
• Ethical Dilemmas
• Globalization and global perspectives
• Heritage Erasure
• Historic/Cultural Resource/Site Preservation
• Human Rights and Social and Economic Inequalities
• War, Violence, and Conflict