Heritage Studies (HERST-UH)

What is "World Heritage," how is it nominated, and by whom? The heritage field has become a complex industry that involves (inter)national prestige, conservation, site management, and museum development. Heritage sites of "Outstanding Universal Value" and prestigious museums with "universal" collections are booming tourist destinations worldwide. Multi-faceted perspectives of heritage underline the proposition that heritage doesn't just represent a static link with the past, but is part of a dynamic social process that includes an evolving interpretation of "the past" for the use in the present. In this course, students explore and test theoretical conceptions of heritage using case studies and fieldwork on heritage sites and collections in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. These investigations will provide context for understanding cultural heritage's multi-layered and multi-vocal aspects. The focus for our discussions will be sites and practices that are considered "shared cultural heritage" for their Outstanding Universal Value. But what do these values mean, and for whom? Do they imply that universal human values exist? And what if these values are contested?

Heritage has become a commodity. As it increasingly comes into conflict with issues of socio-economics, nation building, ethnicity, race, religion and gender, its protection and promotion have become prominent in the minds of political leaders, environmentalists, artists and tourism planners in the Arab and Islamic worlds. This has created a perceived need to manage heritage and bring it further into the public consciousness. But can heritage be objectively or equitably managed? With Arabian and Islamic identity as its focus, this class explores how the transnationalism of heritage connects cultures and subcultures as shared heritage, but at other times, heritage is a source of conflict and contestation, as is the case with several memorial and archaeological sites and art and artisan expressions of collective memory. Through case studies and meetings with regional/international institutions, such as UNESCO, and heritage practitioners, including archaeologists, artists and community activists, students study theories and management practices, while considering politics of heritage representation in the region.

Palmyra was one of the great cities of antiquity. For almost two thousand years, its physical remains stood as proud beacons of earlier times. Then suddenly, with the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, much of the ancient city was purposely damaged or destroyed. So too were the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the medieval mausoleums and Sidi Yahia mosque in Timbuktu, Mali. This seminar will explore the reasons cultural heritage has been the target of attacks in recent times and what might be done to protect them. We will consider existing international conventions and statutes and a proposed new international norm. Other topics will include the role of the UN, state sovereignty, humanitarian intervention, Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and counterinsurgency. This course a visit to New York's Metropolitan Museum.

Shipwrecks hold multiple meanings. For many, shipwrecks embody the romance of the sea and the lure of treasure. For others, shipwrecks can be seen as a unique archaeological phenomenon. More than any other archaeological site, they represent a time capsule, a snapshot of a society at a particular moment in time. This course introduces students to maritime archaeology through an exploration of underwater cultural heritage and through field work and practical application of this relatively young discipline.

How can we better understand humanity's relationship with the sea? This course applies interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to historical, archaeological and social evidence from the Bronze Age to the present to answer this question. Through analysis of sites, objects and narratives students will explore how this maritime past manifests in the heritage of the UAE and the region. The course will examine the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean as a case study for interrogating the complex human relationship with- and interdependence on- the sea throughout history and in the present. In particular, the class will focus on two periods of significant maritime expansion in the Gulf and Indian Ocean. First, it will explore the earliest origins of long-distance maritime trade in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, and then the expansion of maritime trade routes along the 'monsoon wind systems' in the Early and Middle Islamic periods, as examples of humans' ambitious engagement with their environment.

Can objects of heritage be owned or alienated as property? Who can or cannot benefit from protecting traditional knowledge or indigenous heritage as intellectual property if infringed in developing countries? Is art fraud or forging heritage a crime against humanity or a crime against personal property? Should heritage be favored by public or private ownership? This seminar investigates society's engagement with the past and explores how history is converted into heritage and property into patrimony. By reading landmark civil and criminal cases, court dockets, and policies set by UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, UNIDROIT, WTO, WIPO, NPS students will debate what should and should not be done to protect and conserve heritage as property. They will compare how museums secure collections and curate heritage management alongside repatriation demands for the restitution of archaeological artifacts to those from which it was taken. Legal strategies including alternative dispute resolutions are reviewed to preserve tangible/intangible heritage worldwide against developing threats by armed conflict, violence, transit/destination supply markets, and the impact of climate change on tourism.

This course will study the history and theory of museums, and critical issues facing museums, through an investigation of the cultural institutions of Florence. Much of the course will be held in museums and other cultural spaces, along with classroom sessions at NYU Florence. The city of Florence presents a unique opportunity for examining museums. It is a major museum center and most well-known for its former palaces, civic buildings, and churches displaying masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. But alongside these well-known monuments are great private house museums and museums of fashion, 20th-century art, science, anthropology, and archaeology. We will study this range of museum types, addressing their histories and issues of audience, display, collections care, educational mission, and interactive technology. In addition to attending all site visits, reading required texts and participating in class discussion, students will write two papers and make one presentation.