The ability to access the cultural assets of Rome is something that we probably take for granted, but for many people today, their culture and identity are under attack as never before. A short, free online course starting Thursday, 16聽March at 18.30 will focus on this topic and reach out across the globe to engage people experiencing firsthand attacks on their own culture. These can range from discrimination and vandalism to overt cultural genocide trying to wipe out all traces of a cultural group.聽
The course already has more than 800 people registered, including people from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Syria, Myanmar, Iran, and other places whose conflicts are ongoing, even if they don鈥檛 often hit the headlines.
A similar course run by AUR in January attracted over 900 people from 101 countries. They were highly participative in the chat and on social media pages connected with the course, providing the opportunity to hear from countries and groups we have not had contact with before.聽
Everyone is invited to participate in this discussion. You don鈥檛 need any previous knowledge of the topic, just an interest. If you want to enroll, please click on the link below.
MARCH 16, 2023 (18:30 CET)聽
BEFORE CONFLICT
Can heritage be protected effectively by international agreements, or is this an outdated concept? What can we do to lessen the likelihood that heritage will be targeted, and how do we assess the risk factors? What is the difference in protecting against aggression from state or non-state actors?
MARCH 23, 2023 (18:30 CET)聽
DURING CONFLICT
How can the international community best help the heritage professionals and museum staff on the ground in the countries under attack? How have the internet and social media changed the risk to heritage, and how should we respond? Is advertising the damage always the correct response, or does this encourage more destruction? 聽Will having specialist military personnel like the monuments men make a difference on the ground?
MARCH 30, 2023 (18:30 CET)聽
AFTER CONFLICT
Why is protecting cultural property particularly important in a post-conflict situation, and why is it difficult? What are the respective roles of civil society and the military during post-conflict? How do we make decisions over commemorating the dead and remembering atrocities? How can we turn peacekeeping into peacebuilding?