Dr Dacia Viejo Rose

My research interests lie at the nexus between cultural heritage and the politics of the past. At the moment my work focuses on violence - including dynamics threat, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and risk. I am especially interested in how cultural heritage is used, and abused, during armed conflicts to divide, exclude, and intimidate. The motivation behind this line of questioning is to try and discover potential mechanisms for ‘disarming’ heritage so that it can be a tool for constructive dialogue, dignity, and respect.

Coming out of, and feeding into, this main line of my research are others such as trying to understand how developments in the neuroscience of memory might be applied to heritage studies, and the relationship between cultural and natural heritage.

Until now, the study of the destruction of cultural heritage during wars has focused on the material damage suffered by sites or on the looting of objects. This focus on material destruction has overlooked what might be underlying this form of violence. The proposed research project will further develop the theory of ‘cultural violence’, applying it to violent acts against cultural heritage. It is hoped that the insights gained from this work will help inform national policies more likely to strengthen plural societies. On an international level this research could help develop practical tools for agencies working on post-conflict reconstruction projects and strengthen measures for protecting heritage sites during conflicts.