Role of universities in preserving cultural heritage in areas of conflict
Date
2020-12-22
Authors
Saifi, Yara
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Abstract
People living under occupation continue their struggle against loss of
land by preserving their authentic cultural heritage, narrative, identity,
and very existence in various ways. This paper sets out the efforts of
Palestinian universities to protect their cultural heritage in the face of
continuing Israeli occupation, which demonstrate resilience by building
sustainable livelihoods. This includes raising awareness of their cultural
heritage, and assisting the economy through the provision of work opportunities
that portray a collective policy towards their culture. It sheds light
on the case of Al-Quds University that is implementing several conservation
projects in different cultural sites rich in the contextual values in the
Old City of Jerusalem. The university adopts people-centered solutions,
which give the built heritage significant meaning and value. A taxonomy
of efforts among the projects is outlined to inform policy discussions
related to the role of universities. Through utilizing empirical data that
can stimulate discussions on developing a more shared set of efforts, the
paper contributes to ongoing debates on the reconstruction of built
heritage as a dynamic process and strategy to help people recover from
the impacts of conflicts.
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Citation
Yara Saifi (2020): Role of universities in preserving cultural heritage in areas of conflict, International Journal of Cultural Policy, DOI: 10.1080/10286632.2020.1857374