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Background

In any form of conflict, what to the soldier is terrain - something to be exploited, occupied, protected or denied to an enemy - is home to the local (and usually the host) population and  landscape to the archaeologist. That landscape will include the material culture of the host people and their predecessors and ancestors - the people who first shaped the land before it ever became the operational theatre. Whether in a museum or woven into the fabric of the land, the artefacts, sacred places, archaeological sites, and historic monuments - all of which are defined as Cultural Property - are an intrinsic part of the culture of any nation. The fundamental importance of cultural property embraces national and regional pride, identity, spiritual significance and economics. It may, for example, be contested and a source of inter-ethnic tension, or it may be a commonly agreed culture, said to define a nation, but in all cases it is a significant element in the political systems of that nation. Without understanding of the ancient human past as present in the landscape, the Military Commander is operating without understanding of manifestations of the bonds and fault lines within the operational theatre. In recent years, ancient sites including the Baghdad Museum, Angkor Wat, the Bamyan Buddhas, the Mostar Bridge, the Walls of Derry, Stonehenge, Dubrovnik, Tripolitania and the Malagasy Palace of the Queens have all been military and/or cultural flashpoints; in some cases driving local opinion against the occupying or intervening power. Cultural Property is also the subject of International Law, the Military Commander who fails to take account of its existence could face charges at The Hague.

Military Commanders and Political Planners need to know about Cultural Property.

Themes

We will explore two major and complementary themes: the Military's need to understand the nature and effects of heritage/Cultural Property on operations, and the potential contribution of those who study heritage to improve that understanding. This conference is therefore of interest both to those who plan and execute military operations and to those who are interested in the study of culture and in the practical application of archaeological and material cultural studies in the uncertainty and violence of conflict.

Topics to be covered

Cultural Heritage Experts and the Military – A 4 Phase Model for Co-operation
Newcastle University

Looking Beyond Global Significance
ERDC-CERL

The Taliban Sources Project 1979-2011
Thessiger & Company

Learning from the Past to Protect the Past?  The Experiences of the Allied Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Sub-Commission in World War Two
Swansea University

Protection of Cultural Property under the Laws of Armed Conflict
HQ LWC   

Avoiding Collateral Damage to Cultural Sites Through the Targeting Process
Air Warfare Centre

Bosnia and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage: Conflict and Post-conflict Cultural Property Protection

How the UK can Fulfil the Military Requirements to Conform to the Hague Convention
The Art Loss Register

The Protection Granted to Cultural Sites and Monuments through the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Two Protocols
UNESCO

Abstract Submission

Abstracts of up to 300 words are invited on a topic within any of the above themes.  Presentations should be planned to take 20 minutes followed by questions. 

Abstracts should be submitted by Monday 23rd April.  

You may also be interested in:

• Military Anthropology Workshop 18th June
• The 5th Spatial Sociocultural Knowledge Workshop 19th June
• Culture in Conflict Symposium 20th - 21st June

For further information on this event please contact.