The Preservation of Art and Culture in Times of War

Claire Finkelstein editor Derek Gillman editor Frederik Rosén editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:14th Nov '22

Should be back in stock very soon

The Preservation of Art and Culture in Times of War cover

Conflict over cultural heritage has increasingly become a standard part of war. Today, systematic exploitation, manipulation, attacks, and destruction of cultural heritage by state and non-state actors form part of most violent conflicts across the world. Such acts are often intentional and based on well-planned strategies for inflicting harm on groups of people and communities. With this increasing awareness of the role cultural heritage plays in war, scholars and practitioners have progressed from seeing conflict-related destruction of cultural heritage as a cultural tragedy to understanding it as a vital national security issue. There is also a shift from the desire to protect cultural property for its own sake to viewing its protection as connected to broader agendas of peace and security. Concerns about cultural heritage have thus migrated beyond the cultural sphere to worries about the protection of civilians, the financing of terrorism, societal resilience, post-conflict reconciliation, hybrid warfare, and the geopolitics of territorial conflicts. This volume seeks to deepen public understanding of the evolving nexus between cultural heritage and security in the twenty-first century. Drawing on a variety of disciplines and perspectives, the chapters in this volume examine a complex set of relationships between the deliberate destruction and misuse of cultural heritage in times of conflict, on the one hand, and basic societal values, legal principles, and national security, on the other.

In war, belligerents sometimes intentionally destroy treasured artifacts of their adversary's culture or plunder those artifacts to fund their own war effort. Members of a society sometimes destroy elements of their own cultural heritage as symbols of values or historical practices they repudiate. The essays in this superb collection carefully examine the full range of moral, legal, and evaluative issues raised by the meanings, value, and vulnerability of cultural artifacts - issues that have hitherto been unjustifiably neglected by those of us who have written about the morality of war. * Jeff McMahan, Sekyra and White's Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Oxford, author of Killing in War *
The destruction of cultural heritage amidst violence and atrocities is not new, but the post- Cold War era has delivered not only death and displacement but cultural wastelands as well. These essays provide invaluable insights for analysts and practitioners to understand what is happening and what can be done about it. * Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor of Political Science, City University of New York Graduate Center *
This volume is a timely, truly indispensable contribution to its field. Thoughtful and wide ranging, the essays constitute a thoughtful exploration of the high stakes of cultural heritage and preservation, now and for generations to come. * Julian Siggers, President and CEO, The Field Museum *
During the last two decades, the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria have impacted every archaeologist, museum curator, and expert in cultural property. This book is the first to synthesize the legal and cultural issues with which we've dealt and to offer strategies for cultural property protection in the future. * C. Brian Rose, James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania *
A vital contribution to the emerging intersection of heritage, security and international law, this volume is highly relevant to the increasing level of conflict surrounding cultural heritage at home and abroad. This impressive interdisciplinary set of contributions from leading scholars tackles the difficult moral, legal and political issues and the array of actors involved, from international organizations and state authorities to non-state actors. A timely and ethical intervention. * Lynn Meskell, Professor of Anthropology, Penn Museum *

ISBN: 9780197610565

Dimensions: 162mm x 237mm x 36mm

Weight: 807g

496 pages