Theme:
3. Heritage Narratives and Representations
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Uses of Material Culture in Visual Representations of 20th and 21st Century Conflict Heritage
Content:
Conflicts have been a common part of the global stage throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, leaving a visible impression on our material culture. This has become a field of study in archaeology, especially in public archaeology, with many using the discipline to shed light on the unrecorded stories of war and so expanding our narratives of the past. Material culture, and its significance in producing new narratives and reinforcing existing discourse, are of increasing concern to the archaeological and cultural heritage community. Examples include a concentration camp turned into a memorial, trenches reconstructed in museums, or prisoners’ uniforms as a motif of a wartime movie. Of course, material culture is not just limited to what can be excavated. Whether it be museum exhibitions on the Cold War, or how the film industry has depicted events in the Second World War, these visual representations both use and become a part of, the material culture of conflict archaeology and heritage. Discussing the various practices in using and creating material culture in visual representations of conflict heritage can lead to a wider understanding of how narratives on the conflict are being produced or reinforced.
This session invites papers that explore visual representations of the material culture of conflicts from the 20th and 21st centuries, to discuss the role of these materials in sustaining and reproducing discourse on conflict. Themes may include, but are not limited to:
•role of material culture in representations of conflicts (e.g., museums, films, and commodification)
•specific aspects of material culture that complement existing narratives or produce new ones
•impact of the uses of material culture in shaping public perceptions of the conflicts
•methodologies in studying visual representations of the material remain of conflicts
•the extent to which representations themselves become a part of material culture
Keywords:
Material Culture, Visual Representations, Conflict Archaeology, Conflict Heritage, Narrative Construction
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Geonyoung Kim (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Tonia Lawes (United Kingdom) 2
Minjae Zoh (South Korea) 3
Affiliations:
1. University of Cambridge
2. University College London
3. Seoul National University
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