HERITAGE: POLITICS AND PRACTICES IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD

This course constitutes one of the core educational activity (B) of the master's degree programme in Language and Civilisation of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (Near and Middle East, Indian Sub-continent); it contributes to broadening the student's knowledge of the culture of the area by exploring some of the more pressing issues that concerns tangible heritage, archaeological in particular. Through the study of a series of specific cases, it examines the complex relationship between politics, archaeology and nationalism in the Orient, and addresses the repercussions on the conservation and 'mise en valeur' of heritage, from colonialism to the days of Isis.

The student will acquire knowledge and skills that will allow her/him to understand the evolution of archaeological research and practices of conservation, preservation and enhancement of heritage in the context of major political changes in the region. He/she will be able to critically analyse certain aspects of research, conservation and 'mise en valeur' programmes and to understand the implications between politics and good practice.

The course does not require specific competences.

The course will address a number of issues related to the so-called tangible heritage, particularly archaeological, through an in-depth study of a number of specific cases related to the Near East. The main stages of archaeological research in the Near East and the formulation of the concept of heritage will be discussed through some illustrative cases, in the context of colonial policy (archaeology in Mesopotamia and the formation of the great imperialist museums), the birth of nationalism (Turkey at the time of Mustafa Kemal, Iraq from the monarchy to Saddam) and orientalist perspective (the destruction of the Ottoman city). Specific case studies will concern the most recent policies for research, protection and management of some iconic sites in historic Jerusalem; an exemplary project of conservation and 'engaged' rehabilitation in a historic district of Cairo; the destruction of heritage between past and present.

Reference texts, to be found on MOODLE platform:

AAVV, The Azhar Park Project in Cairo and the Conservation and Revitalization of Darb al-Ahmar, The Agha Khan Trust for Culture, on-line publication (pdf).

Zainab Bahrani, Conjuring Mesopotamia. Imaginative geography and a world past, in Lynn Meskell (ed.) Archaeology Under Fire. Nationalism, politics and heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, London and New York 1998, pp. 159-174 (pdf).

M. T. Bernhardsson, Archaeology and Nationalism in Iraq, 1921-2003, in R. Boytner, L. Swartz Dodd, B. J. Parker (eds), Controlling the Past, Owning the Future, Tucson, 2010, pp. 55-67 (pdf).

Stella Casiello (a cura di), La cultura del restauro. Teorie e fondatori, Marsilio, Venezia 1996 (biblioteca BAUM): LIMITATAMENTE AGLI ARGOMENTI TRATTATI.

Joachìn Marìa Còrdoba, On the Iraq Museum and Other Assaults Brief News about the Plundering of lraqi Museums and the Systematic Looting of lraqi Archaeological Heritage, ISIMU III, 2000 (publication date?), pp. 15-22 (pdf).

R. Daher e I. Maffi, Introduction, in R. Daher e I. Maffi (a cura di) The politics and practices of cultural heritage in the Middle East, London 2014, pp. 1-38 (pdf).

Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Archeologia e Conservazione, Milano 2007: “Il dibattito sull’autenticità”, pp. 227 e 230 (pdf).

Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, Il valore discriminante dell'autenticità prima e dopo Nara, ANAGK, n. 52, 2007, pp. 70- 73 (pdf).

M. Diaz-Andreu, Guest editor's introduction. Nationalism and archaeology, Nations and Nationalism 7 (4), 2001, 429-440 (pdf).

EMEK SHAVEH (ONG), TheTemple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif – Archaeology in a Political Context, pubblicazione on-line (http://alt-arch.org/en/ ) (pdf).

Finbarr Barry Flood, Idol-Breaking as Image-Making in the ‘Islamic State’, Religion and Society: Advances in Research 7 (2016), pp. 116–138 (pdf).

Ömür Harmanşah, ISIS, Heritage, and the Spectacles of Destruction in the Global Media, in Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol. 78, No. 3, Special Issue: The Cultural Heritage Crisis in the Middle East (September 2015), pp. 170-177 (pdf).

Daniele Manacorda, Il sito archeologico: fra ricerca e valorizzazione, Roma, Carocci, 2007: cap. 2, pp. 15-32; capp. 4-5, pp. 82-121 (pdf).

Paolo Matthiae, Prima lezione di archeologia orientale, Roma-Bari, 2005: capp. 1 e 2 (pdf).

Marxiano Melotti, Turismo archeologico. Dalle piramidi alle veneri di plastica, Milano, Mondadori, 2008: capitoli selezionati (pdf).

David Shankland, Afterword: Heritage, Nationalism and Archaeology in the Republic of Turkey, in S. Redford and N. Ergin (eds.), Perceptions of The Past in the Turkish Republic: Classical and Byzantine Periods, Leuven, 2010, pp. 225-236 (pdf).

A. D. Smith, Authenticity, antiquity and archaeology, Nations and Nationalism 7 (4), 2001, pp. 441-449 (pdf).

Cristina Tonghini, Archeologia medievale e archeologia islamica, Archeologia Medievale, n. speciale 2014, pp. 33-40: solo il capitolo 1 (pdf).

Lauso Zagato e Simona Pinton, Lezioni di diritto internazionale ed europeo del patrimonio culturale 2: Circolazione e restituzione, Venezia, 2018:
Unità didattica 8: La restituzione dei beni culturali a seguito dei conflitti armati, pp. 17-38 (pdf)
Unità didattica 11: La convenzione UNIDROIT del 1995 sugli oggetti culturali rubati o illecitamente esportati, pp. 71-79 (pdf)

Learning is verified in two complementary ways:
A) 35% of final mark
The student is required to submit an essay at least one week before the day of the oral examination; this essay should focus on an archaeological site of his/her choice, agreed with the teacher. The student can also decide for a presentation on the same topic. In this work the student will have to show that he/she has acquired the necessary critical skills and tools to understand the research (historical-political context, method, results) and the programme of protection and enhancement of the site. The work must be in two parts. The first will summarise the results of the research carried out on the site; the second will highlight aspects relating to the conservation and enhancement of the site, and will provide a personal assessment.
B) 65% of final mark)
During the oral exam, students will be asked to illustrate some of the topics covered in the lesson, with the help of images. This part of the exam aims to verify that the student has acquired basic knowledge of the subjects and case studies discussed, and adequate critical skills to deal with their study.

Face-to-face lessons will be illustrated with images, available on the MOODLE e-learning platform. Part of the course will be seminar-based, and students will be asked to contribute to discussions on specific topics and to prepare a presentation.

Italian

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development