Landscaping Jerusalem: World Heritage and Borders

The battle for land(scape) and territorial control is a key element in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the ‘struggle for Jerusalem’. In this paper, Dr Britt  Baillie, University of Cambridge, traces how the construction of the separation barrier has remodeled South Jerusalem’s landscape. I focus on the impact of the ‘Wall’ on the archaeologically rich and environmentally sensitive Refaim Valley—’the bread basket of Jerusalem’. Two opposing approaches to heritage management will be explored through this paper: the Conventional Approach (CA) and the Living Heritage Approach (LHA). The former, a Western model frequently used by colonial powers, focuses on the preservation and conservation of ‘safely dead’ heritage. Indeed, when employed, it seeks to protect heritage by disengaging it from all active uses other than tourism and scholarship. The Living Heritage Approach has been developed in response to the CA in circumstances where the model does not recognize the continuity between the past and present.

Britt Baillie completed her PhD in Archaeology and Heritage Management at the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. Her current research focuses on Jerusalem’s landscape, heritage and environment. Britt Baillie’s current research interest include: the politicization of cultural heritage, memory and identity, religious uses and concepts of space, and theories of destruction. Her work with Conflict in Cities focuses on the changing landscape of East Jerusalem.

This lecture is part of the University of Brighton’s research seminar series 2012 – 2013. Centre for Research in Memory and Narrative Histories.

Event starts at 5pm with get together and drinks. Lecture starts at 5.30pm.