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ANT2031 Heritage, Conflict and Development

This module considers Heritage, Conflict and Development.

What is heritage?  Who owns it?  How and where is it constructed and disputed, and to what end, whether interpretation centre, theme park, prison camp, geopark?  How is heritage linked with tourism and urban regeneration, and harnessed in post-conflict zones such as Rwanda, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Bosnia and Heregovnia.  What is the heritage industry's involvement in Antigua's Heritage Quay, and how can 'Irish Heritage' be used in the reconstruction and social development of post-disaster Montserrat?  Is it the same use of heritage in Alcatraz and Auschwitz?  What are the ethics and politics of representing heritage at Nuremberg and in the Maze/Long Kesh?

In this module students will use an anthropological perspective and ethnographic materials to examine the diverse and highly contested nature and forms of cultural and physical heritage, the heritage industry, and local and international heritage destinations.  Concepts and topics covered include cultural heritage, physical heritage, dissonant heritage, expectation formation, dark tourism, tourism and the heritage industry, staged authenticity, the representation of the past, social development strategies, post-conflict transformation and post-disaster recovery.