Targeting archaeology: Emotions and agenda behind ISIS heritage destruction

Nimrod Hurvitz (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)

 

 

 

From 2014 to 2017, after conquering large swathes of Iraq and Syria, ISIS launched a systematic campaign of destruction targeting archaeological sites, museums, mosques, churches, shrines, and libraries. The scale and deliberate nature of this cultural devastation baffled the international community, and in particular, outraged archaeologists, government officials, and heritage preservation advocates. ISIS’s motives were an enigma.
This project seeks to illuminate the worldview and underlying motives driving ISIS's obliteration of religious and archeological sites. The analysis will proceed through four interconnected approaches: examining ISIS's actions within the broader context of religiously motivated heritage destruction; analyzing ISIS's own rhetoric justifying the demolition of such sites; investigating how the group weaponized these destructive acts as propaganda for digital dissemination to both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences; and exploring the emotional responses these actions generated among supporters and opponents. Examining these aspects of ISIS’s campaign of demolition will improve our understanding of their worldview and goals. 

Nimrod Hurvitz lehrt am Institut für Nahoststudien der Ben-Gurion-Universität des Negev. Der Schwerpunkt seiner Forschung liegt auf religiös-politischen Bewegungen im Mittelalter und in der Moderne. Für das Sommersemester 2025 ist er auf Einladung von Hagit Nol, Juniorprofessorin für Islamische Archäologie an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Fellow am Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften. Sein Aufenthalt wird durch das von der VolkswagenStiftung geförderte Projekt »Islamische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte« (IAAH) unterstützt.

Teilnahme
Geschlossene Veranstaltung. Kontakt: Beate Sutterlüty; E-Mail: b.sutterluety@forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de