My research interests lie in the nexus between cultural heritage and the political uses听of the past. At the moment my work focuses on how cultural heritage can be a vector for听violence both as a target and instrument - including dynamics threat, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and risk. I am especially interested in how cultural heritage is used, and abused, during armed conflicts to divide, exclude, and intimidate. The motivation behind this line of questioning is to try and discover potential mechanisms for 鈥榙isarming鈥� heritage so that it can be a tool for constructive dialogue, dignity, and respect. More recently, I have been working on assessing the harm done by attacks on cultural heritage and how a nuanced understanding of this might inform measures of repair. This line of research has led me to investigate recent developments at the International Criminal Court and work by the Trust Fund for Victims.听
Coming out of, and feeding into, this main line of my research are others such as trying to understand how developments in the neuroscience of memory might be applied to heritage studies, heritage ecologies, and how our perception of risk informs our valuation of heritage.听
I regularly collaborate with NGOs and international organisations on matters of cultural heritage, its uses and听interpretation, especially as they relate to conflict and humanitarian interventions.
Research
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My research interests lie at the nexus between cultural heritage and the politics of the past. At the moment my work focuses on violence - including dynamics threat, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and risk. I am especially interested in how cultural heritage is used, and abused, during armed conflicts to divide, exclude, and intimidate. The motivation behind this line of questioning is to try and discover potential mechanisms for 鈥榙isarming鈥� heritage so that it can be a tool for constructive dialogue, dignity, and respect.
Coming out of, and feeding into, this main line of my research are others such as trying to understand how developments in the neuroscience of memory might be applied to heritage studies, and the relationship between cultural and natural heritage.
Until now, the study of the destruction of cultural heritage during wars has focused on the material damage suffered by sites or on the looting of objects. This focus on material destruction has overlooked what might be underlying this form of violence. The proposed research project will further develop the theory of 鈥榗ultural violence鈥�, applying it to violent acts against cultural heritage. It is hoped that the insights gained from this work will help inform national policies more likely to strengthen plural societies. On an international level this research could help develop practical tools for agencies working on post-conflict reconstruction projects and strengthen measures for protecting heritage sites during conflicts.
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Collaborators
- Dr听Andreas Pantazatos听
- Dr Paola Filippucci
- Prof Marie Louise Stig S酶rensen
- Benjamin Hinson
- Dr Liliana Janik
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Places you can find my research
笔煤产颈肠辞 鈥� 鈥溾��, 15 April 2021:16-17.
Hay Festival 鈥� Public Lecture: 鈥淲ar on Culture 鈥� the politics of reconstructing cultural heritage鈥�, 3/06/2018.
In Our Time 鈥� Guest-speaker on the episode on Picasso鈥檚 Guernica, BBC Radio 4, 2/11/2017
Europe Now 鈥� 鈥淐ultural Heritage and the Politics of the Past鈥� interviewed by S. Teichman, Issue 6, 04/2017: 听
91探花视频 Research, 鈥淒o Memorials Matter?鈥�. 2011.
Videos: Reconstructing Spain:
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Information for Prospective Postgraduate Students
Before making a speculative approach to me about your PhD project, please think about the following:听
1. Why do you want to work with me in particular as your supervisor? It is important that we are excited about the same sorts of questions and that you clearly lay out why you are actively interested in working with me specifically.听
2. What will you bring to the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre? I am keen on working with people who can bring unusual skills and creative approaches to takling questions about heritage, not just an interesting case study. A strong academic trajectory, a听long-standing passion for heritage, and some practical experience in the field听are the minimum expectations, not qualifications in themselves.听
3. How will you fund your research? Funding in the Humanities is notoriously difficult to come by so you need to have a realistic plan for covering expenses related to field-work.听
4. Why do you want to do a PhD? A PhD is difficult, intensive听and all-consuming requiring serious dedication. Most PhD graduates do not end up working in academica and听post-doctoral research posts are very hard to come by so you need to have realistic expectations and a clear reason for doing one.听
Key Publications
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Monographs
| [1] | 2011 听听 Reconstructing Spain: Cultural Heritage and Memory after Civil War. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press. (2013 softcover) |
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Edited Volumes
| [1] | 2019听听听听(ed. with M.L.S.S酶rensen & P.Filipucci)听From听History to Heritage: Memorials and Memorialisation. London: Palgrave.听听 |
| [2] | 2015听听听听(ed. with M.L.S.S酶rensen)听War and Cultural Heritage: Biographies of Place.听听Cambridge: CUP. 听 |
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Journal Articles
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| [1] | 2019听听听听Moffett, L., D. Viejo Rose & R. Hickey. 鈥淪hifting the paradigm on cultural property and heritage in international law and armed conflict: time to talk about reparations?鈥�,听International Journal of Heritage Studies,听DOI:听听听听 |
| [2] | 2015听听听听鈥淐ultural heritage and memory: untangling the ties that bind.鈥澨�Culture & History Digital Journal, 4(2): 2018. DOI: . 听 |
| [3] | 2013听听听听鈥淩econstructing Heritage in the Aftermath of Civil War: Re-visioning the Nation and the Implications of International Involvement鈥� in the听Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, vol. 7/ issue 2, 2013, 125-148. DOI:听听 |
| [4] | 2011听听听听鈥淢emorial Functions: Intent, Impact and the Right to Remember鈥� in听Memory Studies, Oct, issue 4.4.听DOI听:听听 |
| [5] | Lee, HK and D. Viejo Rose. 鈥淭he Eclectic Heritage-Scape of a Tense Border in Paju, DMZ, South Korea鈥�, Korea Journal, vol.63, no.2: 46-93. DOI: 10.25024/kj.2023.63.2.46 听听听 |
Book Chapters
| [1] | Viejo-Rose, D., Renshaw, L. and Filippucci, P., 2023.听FROM DEAD PLACES TO PLACES OF THE DEAD: The Memorial Power of Battlefields, Ruins, and Burials in the Warscapes of Spain and the Western Front Doi:听 |
| [2] | 2019听听听听鈥淭he Ecotones and Edge Effects of Heritage Borders鈥� in Anna K盲ll茅n (ed)听Heritage and Borders.听Stockholm: Swedish Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.听 |
| [3] | 2016听听听听听听鈥淓ternal, Impossible, Returns: Variations on the Theme of Dislocation鈥� in K. von Zinnenburg Caroll (ed),听The importance of being anachronistic: contemporary Aboriginal art and museum reparations, Discipline & Third Text Publications: Melbourne, Victoria; pp.103-130. 听 |
| [4] | 2015听听听听听with M.L.S. S酶rensen, 鈥淐ultural听Heritage and Conflict: new questions for an old relationship鈥� in E. Waterton and S. Watson (eds)听A Companion to Contemporary Heritage Research. Basingstoke & NY: Palgrave McMillan.听 |
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Public Engagement, Outreach and Press (Selection)
| [1] | Items 鈥� 鈥溾��, 26/04/2022听 |
| [2] | 笔煤产颈肠辞 鈥� 鈥溾��, 15 April 2021:16-17. |
| [3] | Hay Festival 鈥� Public Lecture: 鈥淲ar on Culture 鈥� the politics of reconstructing cultural heritage鈥�, 3/06/2018 |
| [4] | In Our Time 鈥� Guest-speaker on the episode on Picasso鈥檚 Guernica, BBC Radio 4, 2/11/2017 |
| [5] | Europe Now 鈥� 鈥淐ultural Heritage and the Politics of the Past鈥� interviewed by S. Teichman, Issue 6, 04/2017: |
| [6] | The Why Factor 鈥� Interviewed by BBC World Service鈥檚 for a special program of the Why Factor on 鈥淢emorialisation鈥� (two parts), aired Nov. 2014: |
| [7] | 91探花视频 Research, 鈥淒o Memorials Matter?鈥�. 2011. |
| [8] | Rue 89 鈥� 鈥淟a culture en p茅riode de guerre: une 芦bombe 脿 retardement 禄鈥�, interviewed by F. Praz, 15/04/2011 |
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Videos
| [1] | Reconstructing Spain: 听 |
| [2] | Reconstructing Gernika鈥檚 Foru Plaza: 听 听听 |
| [3] | Remembering Gernika/Gernika Remembers: 听听 |
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Exhibitions curated (selection)
| [1] | Restoring Truth to Ruins, exhibition co-curated with Sarah Nankivell (21-29 Oct. 2017) and panel presentation (21 Oct.) convened, Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Cambridge Central Library听 听 |
| [2] | The Heritage of Displacement: Roots and Routes of Identity on the Move, Photo exhibition 17-24 October 2016, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research |
| [3] | Another Day Lost: 1,888 and Counting, Pop-up exhibition of Issam Kourbaj鈥檚 piece on the war in Syria, Dpt. of 91探花视频, 14 May 2016 |
| [4] | Reconstrucci贸n del patrimonio en la posguerra. Regiones Devastadas en Gernika, Museo de la Paz de Gernika, Gernika, 1April 鈥� 1 Oct. 2015 |
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| [1] | 2018听听听 Book Review: White,听Geoffrey M.听Memorializing Pearl Harbor: unfinished histories and the work of remembrance, in听Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 24(1): 208-209, March 2018.听DOI听:听 |
| [2] | 2017. 鈥淐ultural Heritage and Politics of the Past: An Interview with Dacia Viejo-Rose鈥�, in听EuropeNow, April 2017 issue. Columbia University: New York. |
| [3] | 2017听听听 Book Review:听Heritage and Peacebuilding, in听Heritage & Society, vol. 7, Issue 2, pp.:193-197. DOI听:听 |
| [4] | 2014听 鈥淐ultural Heritage Management and Armed Conflict 鈥� in C. Smith (Editor-in-Chief).听Encyclopaedia of Global 91探花视频. New York: Springer Reference, pp. 1870-1875. |
| [5] | 2014听 听听鈥淓ntrevista: Dacia Viejo-rose: 鈥楨l patrimonio cultural: 驴potenciador de di谩logo y sentido unificador o de desencuentro y violencia?鈥欌�� in听revista ph, n. 85 of the听Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Hist贸rico, April 2014, 232-236. |
| [6] | 2013听听听 鈥淩eview of听Exhuming Loss鈥� in听Cambridge Archaeological Journal, vol.听23, issue 1, February pp. 129-130. |
| [7] | 2013听听听 鈥淩eview of听A European Memory? Contested Histories and Politics of Remembrance鈥�, in the journal of听Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, vol. 13, issue 1. |
| [8] | 2012 听听 鈥淐ultural Destruction鈥� in H. Anheier, M. Juergensmeyer, V. Faessel (eds.),听Encyclopaedia of Global Studies. London: Sage, pp. 322-325. |
| [9] | 2003 听听 鈥淚ssues of Evaluation in Humanitarian Arts Projects鈥�, in Y.R. Isar (ed.)听Artistic Activism: Towards an evaluation of the use of cultural activities in situations of conflict.听 Brussels: IETM, pp. 38-50. |
Co-authored work
| [1] | 2011 听听 Isar, Y.R., D. Viejo-Rose and H.K. Anheier, 鈥淚ntroduction鈥� in Isar, Anheier and Viejo-Rose (eds), Cultures and Globalization Series, vol. 4,听Heritage, Memory and Identity. London: Sage, pp. 1-20. |
Teaching and Supervisions
- Teaching on module G23 (Management of the Archaeological Heritage)
- Coordinating the paper G22听(Sociopolitics of the Past)
- Coordinating and teaching on module听A13 (The听Past in the Present)
- Occasional lecturing on modules G24 (Special Topics in Heritage), G02 (Core 91探花视频) and A10 (Archaeological Theory and Practice I), and G01 (Research Methods)
Supervision of the following successfully completed PhDs:
, 鈥淣ation-building and cultural heritage in post-colonial Cuba, 1898-2014鈥� (2011-2015)
, "D茅fendre l'humanit茅en prot茅geant son patromoine. Un nouveau mandat pour les op茅rations de pais onusiennes"听(Sciences Po Paris, 2016 - 2020)
, 鈥淗eritage on the Margins: Brokerage and Enchantment on Pakistan鈥檚 Northern Frontier鈥� (2016 -2021)
Alisa Santikarn, The Last Elephant Catchers: (In)Visible Indigenous Heritage in Thailand (2018-2022)
,听Liminal Heritage and Political Transition in Burma/Myanmar since 1824听(2018-2023)
Currently supervising the following PhDs:
Mariana Pinto Leitao Pereira, Working title: 鈥淗eritage of (be)longing, (be)longing as heritage? Expressions of inclusion and exclusion in the Macanese diasporic communities鈥� (2018 - 2024)
Oliver Antczak, Working title: "Comparing Colonial Experiences: Indigenous Identities in the Southern Caribbean",听(2019 - 2024)
, Working title: "The Transformative effects of Civil War on Heritage: The Case of Biafra", (2021- )
Other Professional Activities
Advisory Board member (Consell Assessor), Institute Catal脿 de Recerca en Patrimoni Cultural (ICRPC), 2024-present
Advisory Board Member (SABI), Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT, Santiago de Compostela, Spanish National Research Council), 2022-present
Trust Fund for Victims, Expert consultation on the implementation of reparations in the听Al Mahdi听case, August-September 2018, continued collaborations 2018-present.
Greater London Authority, Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, Expert opinion on contested heritage, January 2022
European Peacebuilding Liasion Office, Expert opinion: Civil Society Meeting on Cultural Heritage as a Component for Peace and Security in Conflict and Crisis Zones, 3-4 March 2021
UNESCO, Invited participant: Recovery of Palmyra, 19 December 2019
UNESCO, Invited participant: Expert meeting on sites associated with recent conflicts and other negative divisive memories, 4-6 December 2019
International Criminal Court, Expert consultation: ICC cultural protection expert meeting, 10 July 2017
