Ceren Abi
Ceren is a cultural and social historian of the modern Middle East and studies cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. She also works on urban history, material and visual culture, and minorities in the Middle East and North Africa. She has a Ph.D. in History from UCLA. She has received her Master's degree in European History from Leiden University (via Europeaum Program with Paris I, Sorbonne and Oxford University). She is currently a visiting scholar at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.
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I will begin by discussing the war, the occupation, and the archaeological activities in the Ottoman Empire in general and then focus on Istanbul. It is well known that all parties that fought on Ottoman lands carried out archaeological activities during the war. Why would they do this in the midst of a brutal global conflict? Why do so during an occupation? I present three reasons. Firstly, to stake territorial claims or at least to delineate a zone of influence. Secondly, to legitimize their occupation. Thirdly, to take advantage of an exceptional opportunity to produce knowledge, as well as to send antiquities to Europe which they did not do in the case of Istanbul.
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I will begin by discussing the war, the occupation, and the archaeological activities in the Ottoman Empire in general and then focus on Istanbul. It is well known that all parties that fought on Ottoman lands carried out archaeological activities during the war. Why would they do this in the midst of a brutal global conflict? Why do so during an occupation? I present three reasons. Firstly, to stake territorial claims or at least to delineate a zone of influence. Secondly, to legitimize their occupation. Thirdly, to take advantage of an exceptional opportunity to produce knowledge, as well as to send antiquities to Europe which they did not do in the case of Istanbul.