UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies: War on Culture/War on Memory: Ukraine, Bosnia and the Global Defense of Heritage

The UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies (CERS) is holding a Fall symposium and film viewing devoted to the urgent question of the destruction and preservation of cultural heritage in time of war. Co-sponsored by President’s International Council, J. Paul Getty Trust, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities, the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES), the UCLA Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures, and the South East European Film Festival.

Abstract
Despite international legal sanctions, we are currently witnessing widespread systematic attacks on cultural heritage in armed conflict, including the brute destruction of buildings and cultural sites (from graves to libraries to museums, to archaeological sites, public monuments, artworks and books); the theft of material heritage or its distortion and abuse in propaganda; the use of media/TV campaigns to rewrite history; and the detention or killing of cultural actors/activists.

Our symposium has two linked aims:

-To present a clear account of the toll of cultural destruction in the current war in Ukraine, and multilateral efforts at documentation and preservation
-To broaden our understanding of destruction and preservation by reflecting on the catastrophic experience of Bosnia during the war of 1992-1995, and its long term impact

The film viewing and concluding roundtable will situate the issue of contemporary war and cultural destruction in the broader global comparative context, including the wars in Syria and Iraq.

Schedule
10:00am - 10:30am | Registration

10:30am - 12:00pm | Panel Discussion A: Cultural Destruction in Ukraine Now
-War in Ukraine: Battle for Freedom, Identity, Future
-Ihor Poshyvailo, Director of the National Museum of Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv

-Cultural Heritage and Modern Conflict: Ukraine 2014-Present
-Damian Koropeckyj, Senior Analyst at the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab, Virginia

-Q&A with audience
-Moderator: Vadim Schneyder, Associate Professor at UCLA Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures

12:00pm - 12:20pm | Coffee Break

12:20pm - 12:50pm | The Arches Heritage Data Management Platform
-The Arches Heritage Data Management Platform: A Tool for Informed Heritage Management
-David Myers, Senior Project Specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute

Moderator: Anne Gilliland, Professor at UCLA School of Education & Information Studies

12:50pm - 1:00pm | Break

1:00pm - 2:30pm Panel | Discussion B: Cultural Destruction in Bosnia—Then and Now
-When War is Only the Beginning: Cultural Destruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Act One & Two
-Amila Buturović, Professor, Department of Humanities, York University
-Genocide as Destruction of Memory
-Aleksandar Hemon, Author and Professor, Princeton University

-Roundtable discussion, Q&A with audience
-Moderator: Adam Moore, Associate Professor at UCLA Geography

2:30pm - 3:30pm | Reception

3:30pm - 5:30pm | Film Showing and Q&A with Panelists and Director
-The Destruction of Memory (film screening, 81 mins)
-Discussion and Q&A with Tim Slade, Director and Producer, and Panelists
-Moderators: Laurie Kain Hart, Executive Director of UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies; Professor at UCLA Anthropology; Roman Koropeckyj, Professor at UCLA Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures