Lecture series explores threats to historic sites

October 13, 2015
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

EVENT: The “Global Heritage at Risk” lecture series examines contemporary threats to museums, collections and historic sites around the world. Speakers will address factors fueling the ongoing loss of objects, monuments and historical places.

Tuesday, Oct. 13: “The Calculated Frightfulness of ISIS: Threats to Middle Eastern Cultural Heritage in Historical Perspective”
Geoffrey Emberling, assistant research scientist at the U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, will contextualize the destruction of monuments and looting of sites and museums in the Middle East by ISIS. He will examine Western responses to these actions—government silence, mobilization of archaeologists, uneven media coverage.

Tuesday, Nov. 3: “Cultural Heritage in Sites and Museums in India: Challenges and Opportunities”
Shraddha Bhatawadekar, Nehru-Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence Fellow at the U-M Center for South Asian Studies and Museum Studies Program, will discuss India’s repository of cultural heritage preserved in archaeological sites of past communities, monuments and museums.

Tuesday, Nov. 10: “To Amphipolis and Back Again: Crisis Management, Heritage Politics and Grassroots Activism as ‘New Heritage’ in Greece”
Despina Margomenou, lecturer in the U-M Department of Classical Studies, will discuss the “Greek crisis” and its effect on the culture’s identity and views on heritage. He will explore the impact on archaeology, museums and heritage management by the disintegrating public sector and the complexity of heritage politics.

Tuesday, Dec. 1: “Crisistunity: Re-imagining Historic Sites at the National Trust”
Katherine Malone-France, vice president for historic sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will explore challenges faced by historic sites and house museums, and address new operations related to the arts and social justice.

PLACE: U-M Museum of Art, Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State St., Ann Arbor

SPONSOR: U-M Museum Studies Program

INFORMATION: All lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. and are free to the public. Visit myumi.ch/J2BAM.