Conference Review
The Culture of Reconstruction: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Aftermath of Crisis
This two-and-a-half day conference was the result
of the work carried out through the weekly seminars held during the
2007-2008 academic year, during which the themes of the conference were
explored. The conference, drawing over 90 people in total, aimed to
address the complexities and potential complementarities of theories,
methods and case studies in post-crisis reconstruction work, in a
stimulating and constructive format. It furthermore aimed to be
interdisciplinary both in scope and design, bringing together
researchers, policy makers, artists and NGOs working on and in
post-crisis scenarios in order to exchange perspectives and
experiences. Conference sessions were organised in such a way as to
encourage discussion across disciplines and methodologies, complemented
by the presentation of case studies, a photography exhibition, a
roundtable discussion, poetry readings and the screening of
documentaries.
The conference was inaugurated by Paddy Ashdown who gave a compelling talk on post-conflict interventions drawing on his experiences in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. His reflections stimulated over an hour of discussion that night and vibrant debate over the following days, days designed to focus on two sides of a common issue: the culture of reconstruction and the reconstruction of culture. The first day explored issues of stakeholders, the impact of intervention and the politics of reconciliation, following up by examining mourning and memorialisation. The day ended with a documentary screening and a discussion on the representation of disaster and its aftermath, led by a documentary filmmaker. The second and final day continued this theme with a panel on the role of the media and the arts in post-crisis scenarios. This was followed by two panels exploring conflict in cities and the role of religion and cultural heritage in reconstruction processes. The conference was rounded up by two experts who acted as rapporteurs of the conference, drawing out the main points and providing avenues for future work and collaboration.
The 2008-2009 academic year will be dedicated to follow-up on the issues raised and the contacts made during the conference. This will be done by inviting back some of the participants from the conference to run workshops and roundtable discussions during the research period of Michaelmas and Lent terms in order to delve more deeply into the themes. Ultimately we aim to produce a publication in mid-late 2009 that will include some of the papers presented at the conference, summing up the discussions and further developing the themes that came out.
The conference was inaugurated by Paddy Ashdown who gave a compelling talk on post-conflict interventions drawing on his experiences in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. His reflections stimulated over an hour of discussion that night and vibrant debate over the following days, days designed to focus on two sides of a common issue: the culture of reconstruction and the reconstruction of culture. The first day explored issues of stakeholders, the impact of intervention and the politics of reconciliation, following up by examining mourning and memorialisation. The day ended with a documentary screening and a discussion on the representation of disaster and its aftermath, led by a documentary filmmaker. The second and final day continued this theme with a panel on the role of the media and the arts in post-crisis scenarios. This was followed by two panels exploring conflict in cities and the role of religion and cultural heritage in reconstruction processes. The conference was rounded up by two experts who acted as rapporteurs of the conference, drawing out the main points and providing avenues for future work and collaboration.
The 2008-2009 academic year will be dedicated to follow-up on the issues raised and the contacts made during the conference. This will be done by inviting back some of the participants from the conference to run workshops and roundtable discussions during the research period of Michaelmas and Lent terms in order to delve more deeply into the themes. Ultimately we aim to produce a publication in mid-late 2009 that will include some of the papers presented at the conference, summing up the discussions and further developing the themes that came out.
Dacia Viejo-Rose
(Archaeology, Cambridge)
