RAI RESEARCH SEMINAR

SEMINAR SERIES AT THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

Anthropology, UNESCO and the destruction of World Heritage: Controlling the Conversation

Dr Charlotte Joy, Goldsmiths

Monday 1 June at 5.30 pm

In this paper, I will be looking at the recent destructions of cultural heritage in Mali from the point of view of UNESCO’s long-term work in the country. By examining how anthropologists have worked with UNESCO over the decades, I will suggest that a retreat to the protection of material cultural heritage is a way of avoiding difficult conversations about our common humanity. In this model, damaged objects and monuments are a broader target for compassion than damaged bodies, and more effective in mobilizing international concern. This ‘material turn’ is a long way from UNESCO’s founding humanist enlightenment educational agenda, an agenda that came about as a reaction to the atrocities of the Holocaust.  

This event is free, but tickets must be booked. To book tickets please go to http://charlottejoy.eventbrite.co.uk