Vorlesungs- und Lehrendenverzeichnis

SoSe 2021

Archaeology, Museums and Identities

Ahmed Kzzo, Nedal Haj Darwich

PULS

States draw on the past to reform national identities. In this context archaeology and museum exhibits of archaeological sources play a crucial role in the Middle East in connection with archaeological excavations which rediscover new civilization centers such as Babylonia, Nineveh, Assur, Mari, Ebla, Ugarit, and others.
Museums in former colonial metropoles such as the Louvre in France and British Museum
in the United Kingdom, enriched their collections with artifacts from some
of these sites to demonstrate and enhance their imperial power. As a counterweight to imperial collections, museums in Middle Eastern countries were founded with the goal of reinforcing a national identity. Examples of these kinds of museums include the Iraqi Museum in Iraq, the National Museum of Damascus and Aleppo, and Beirut Museum.
This course will engage with the history of archaeology and museums in the Near East. In addition, it will discuss the complex relationship between archaeology and museums and ask how both are related to cultural and national identities. In so doing, this seminar will encourage discussions about new perspectives on cultural heritage and the role it plays countries with colonial heritage but most importantly across Middle Eastern societies.

Literatur

Bahrani, Zainab Çelik, Zeynep and Eldem, Edhem (2011). Scramble for the Past:
A Story of Archaeology in the Ottoman Empire, 1753-1914. Istanbul: SALT
Galata.
De Mieroop, Marc Van (2006, 2nd edition). A History of the Ancient Near East
ca. 3000-323 BC. Blackwell Publishing.
Liverani, Mario (2016). Imagining Babylon: the modern story of an ancient city.
Boston: De Gruyter.

Leistungspunkterwerb

Active participation, class presentation, final paper.

Studiengänge und Module

• Einrichtungen
• Veranstaltungen
• Lehrende
• Hinweise

• PULS-Login

Kontakt

Universität Potsdam
Philosophische Fakultät
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam