Archaeology as Cultural Heritage in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Cultural heritage in the Middle East has over the past decades been treated and discussed in terms of an unfolding catastrophe. International archaeologists have responded with a set of emergency measures that include the remote monitoring of site conditions, the exposing of the trade in illicit antiquities, and the provision of technical assistance and training for the conservation, reconstruction, and monitoring of monuments and sites. These international initiatives, by and large, have steered clear of a discourse with local practitioners and communities about archaeology as a way of creating knowledge about the past, its historical and intellectual roots, and its complex intersections with old and new political ideologies and identities. In this article, we argue that an open discourse about archaeology as more than a set of technical skills to be mastered provides a fruitful and largely unexplored avenue toward building a more place-based and community-centered approach to cultural heritage and its stewardship in the region. We illustrate this with the work and results of our collaborative cultural heritage project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.