CFP: Session at CAA (New York, 15-18 Feb 17)

Call for Papers: Session at CAA (New York, 15-18 Feb 17)

Syria Now: Architectural, Artistic, and Cultural Heritage in Peril

Chair(s): Jochen Sokoly, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar; Radha Dalal, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.
Email(s): jochen.sokoly@gmail.com; rjdalal@vcu.edu.

Since 2011 the war in Syria has left a deep-rooted scar on the country's artistic and cultural fabric. Images of destruction in Aleppo, Palmyra, Krak de Chevalier, but also the brutal public assassination of Dr. Khaled al-Asaad, a leading member of the country's archaeologists, have received broad media attention. Amidst the unfolding humanitarian crisis, these events have spurred the international community to safeguard Syria's heritage urgently. The purpose of this panel is to take stock of the loss and damage, to provide a forum for discussion on supporting Syria in the preservation and conservation of its cultural heritage, and to discuss how we as practitioners of art history, archaeology, and museology can collaborate in existing efforts. Presentation topics might include: Effects on visual and material culture; Impact on craft traditions in textiles, wood, metalwork, painting and calligraphy; Management of historical sites and museums; Damage to buildings and artifacts; Practice of contemporary artists; The psychology of war and oppression; Damage to local and national identities; Blatant disregard of international statutes and laws concerning heritage; Appropriation, desecration, and erasure of sacred sites; The economic factors of war; Illicit trading of artifacts to finance war; Damage to country’s touristic and academic infrastructure; Comparative framework; Hands on experience in handling similar crises in Bosnia, Iraq, or Afghanistan; and Institutional and private responses or initiatives.

Potential Subject Areas: 1) Art History-Art of the Middle East/North Africa; 2) Art History-Architectural History/Historic Preservation; 3) Interdisciplinary-Museum Studies/Curatorial Studies/ Art Criticism.