Amman workshop 2024 booklet
Amman workshop 2024 booklet
From Palestinian Archaeology to the Archaeology of the Nakba: Exploring New Directions — Amman Workshop, February 2025
Key Points
A three-day interdisciplinary gathering was hosted at the Columbia Global Center in Amman (February 17–19, 2025), bringing together archaeologists, anthropologists, cultural heritage experts, and museum researchers from Columbia University, the United Kingdom, and Palestinian institutions, with support from the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP). The aim was to shift Nakba scholarship toward archaeological inquiry by merging contemporary theoretical frameworks and practical methods to examine material traces, landscapes, and everyday life, while building international networks to assist Palestinian archaeologists and safeguard cultural heritage for future generations. (page n/a)
Contributions reflected a wide spectrum of topics, including the material culture of daily life and diasporic objects, architectural remnants of villages depopulated in 1948, and the role of maps and toponymy in landscape studies. Discussions also addressed colonial-era antiquities laws, the rise of Palestinian museums within colonial and quasi-state contexts, and how museum practices shape Nakba representations, alongside concerns about artifact looting, repatriation, and the digital documentation of architectural heritage. The aim was to integrate traditional archaeology with the Nakba’s memory, modern digital humanities, and critical colonial critique. (page n/a)
Given the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and the precarious situation in the West Bank, fieldwork has become increasingly challenging. Nonetheless, organizers stressed the urgency of preserving heritage and expanding scholarly dialogue to document and interpret the Nakba through archaeological means. A central objective was to foster enduring international collaborations that support Palestinian researchers, raise global awareness about the destruction and erasure of Palestinian sites and landscapes, and ensure future generations maintain access to their cultural history and sense of identity. (page n/a)
