Paper short abstract:

Through a mixed method combining Geographic Information System (GIS) and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper builds on an ongoing study that explores local, national and global relations to land and cultural heritage in what is often called the world’s largest open-air museum in Luxor, Egypt.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores how a mixed method can be used to approach questions on commons in the Middle East, focusing on the “universal commons” of UNESCO World Heritage sites. With the ongoing project of making Luxor the world’s largest open-air museum, the ever-changing landscape in the Upper Egyptian city is increasingly affected by man-made structures to protect, to control, to manage and to attract. If we compare old maps, aerial photos and satellite images, the changes and developments appear stark and clear: the city grows, but as the conservation sites expand, houses and villages are consequently being demolished. Yet, these images tell us noting about the actual stories on the ground. What do these top-down developments tell us about living in a supposedly “universal common”?

Through a method combining Geographic Information System (GIS) and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper builds on an ongoing study that explores local, national, and global relations to land and cultural heritage in Luxor. What are the possibilities when we approach the field from both above and within? Following these questions, this paper explores the different knowledges our methodologies create, and challenges some of the ways anthropological fieldwork is traditionally imagined. It looks into possibilities and advantages of using GIS, but also explores its limits, challenges, and potential pitfalls. Finally, it argues that this approach can present a valuable platform for discussing local effects of top-down conservation practices, elitist and neo-colonial appropriation of heritage, and Western imaginations of geographies.