ISIS and the Cultural Heritage Crisis of Syria, Iraq, and Yemen

A one-day conference organized by The Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies and The Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University

The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has caused untold damage
to the cultural heritage of the region. As a result of the fighting, countless
monuments have been destroyed, archaeological sites looted, and priceless
manuscript collections lost.
This conference seeks to understand the nature and scope of the damage by
bringing together a distinguished group of scholars from several fields. The
goal is to not merely explain what has been lost, but why ISIS engages in this
behavior, what initiatives are underway to document and stem the damage, and
how international law might be reconceived to contain future crises like this.
Speakers:
Alexander Bauer, Dept of Anthropology, Queens College & CUNY Graduate Center
Cole Bunzel, Dept of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University
Michael Cook, Dept of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University
Michael Danti, Dept of Archaeology, Boston University & American Centers of Oriental Research
Samuel Helfont, Program in International Relations, University of Pennsylvania
Charles Henry, Council on Library and Information Resources
David Magier, Associate University Librarian for Collection Development, Princeton University
Stephen Urice, School of Law, University of Miami

9am-5pm
February 12, 2016
106 McCormick Hall
Co-Sponsored by:
Department of Classics
Department of Near Eastern Studies
Department of Politics
Program in Near Eastern Studies
Lichtenstein Institute for Self-Determination
Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice
Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund
Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, & Central Asia
Archaeological Institute of America