Cultural protection in post-conflict Iraq

Narrative

Cultural heritage infrastructure and archaeological training in Iraq were devastated during the Iran-Iraq War (1980s) and under the sanctions regime (1990s). Thousands of antiquities were looted from museums and archaeological sites in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and during extensive civil unrest in 2008-2009. Campbell has carried out practice-based research in southern Iraq since 2013, placing the archaeologist as both activist and social practitioner in post-conflict zones. This research has: (1) supported professional training, capacity building and the creation of the first geophysics unit within Iraq’s State Board for Antiquities and Heritage; (2) contributed to cultural protection planning; (3) enhanced community awareness of, and engagement with, archaeological heritage at local and national level in Iraq; and (4) contributed to cultural heritage advocacy in Iraq and at international level, including influencing the development of the UK government’s Cultural Protection Fund.

Impact date	Aug 2013 → 2020
Category of impact	Awareness and understanding, Attitudes and behaviours, Society and culture, Policy