Conflict antiquities
| Project type | Blog |
| Institution type | Independant |
| Methods | OSINT |
| Geographic area | Iraq, Syria, Turkey |
| Website | https://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/ |
| Summary | Conflict antiquities are cultural objects that are looted/stolen, trafficked/smuggled, sold/bartered and/or taxed/racketeered to finance or incentivise political violence, from invasion and espionage to insurgency and terrorism. On top of the immediate violence, this plunder has a devastating impact on communities’ self-understanding, development and peace. In his blog, cultural property criminologist Sam Hardy explore the trade in illicit antiquities, and the destruction of community and cultural property, during economic crises, by organised crime and through political violence. He focusses on investigating and analysing crimes against cultural heritage and community property. He also covers other uses/treatments of cultural property (from appropriation to vandalism); and the social, economic and political context (for example, state censorship). The primary research areas are Turkey and Ukraine, but he looks across and beyond the eastern Mediterranean and eastern Europe. |
