Paper short abstract:

This paper uses interviews and photographs to position the cultural meaning attributed to ancient sites in Iraq that were destroyed by ISIS, and how these have been used by local Assyrian NGOs to gain support for local humanitarian programs.

Paper long abstract:

Ancient heritage sites provide the foundations of national narratives. The destruction of these sites during armed conflict creates a distinct narrative of national trauma, one whose cultural importance becomes salient in negotiating post-conflict humanitarian responses. In disputed territories where there are competing narratives between two or more indigenous groups, the management of these responses can be difficult and politicised, leaving some indigenous groups without a platform to influence reconstruction, management, or conservation strategies. In this presentation, I will consider the destruction of Ancient Assyrian sites in Northern Iraq, during the ISIS Conflict. Using interviews and photographs taken in Northern Iraq, I show how cultural meaning is attributed to ancient sites by indigenous groups, and how these have been used by local NGOs to gain support for local humanitarian programs. Connecting iconoclasm at these sites to local modern Assyrian NGO strategies and demands for action, I seek to provide another perspective to the post-conflict humanitarian process.