Cultural heritage put to the test of conflict

Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Photo: The Turkish president and his wife in the former Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, July 23, 2020. Murat Cetinmuhurdar / PPO / Handout via REUTERS

By: Ludovic Dunod

Promoted by UNESCO as a tool for bringing people together and promoting cultures and identities, cultural heritage is today regularly at the heart of conflicts. It is a target for some, a symbolic weapon for others.

Publicity

In recent news, the debacle of statues of slave figures or the resacralization of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul testify to the new place it is taking in the course of the world.

Guest:
Robert Belot is a historian, professor of contemporary history at the Jean Monnet University of Saint-Étienne where he holds the European chair EUPOPA ("Europe, Politics, Heritage"). He directs two master's degrees dedicated to cultural heritage, including an Erasmus Mundus master's degree funded by the European Commission. He also edited the issue of the Quebec review "Ethnologies", entitled Geopolitics, conflicts and heritage .

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  • Heritage
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