Monuments under attack : from protection to securitisation

Abstract

In recent times, terrorist and insurgent groups such as Al-Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic State have turned their violent acts towards cultural heritage. Historical artefacts, monuments, museums and archaeological sites have been attacked and destroyed. This paper seeks to analyse, through a discursive lens, the pathway that characterises the international protection of cultural heritage in crisis-torn scenarios, from politicisation, to criminalisation, and securitisation. We do so by mapping the narrative threads constructed by the main international actors in reaction to the recent attacks to archaeological sites (i.e., Palmyra) and historical artefacts. We seek to offer a tentative explanation of the assumed process of securitisation of cultural heritage.