Disneyland or Wasteland? Avoiding Both in Post-Conflict Heritage Reconstruction

Abstract

In my dissertation I look at heritage reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in progress in urban areas in the aftermath of conflict and destruction, in the Middle East, focusing on Iraq. As heritage theory increasingly accepts wider definitions of the heritage values attached to historic buildings and areas, including their contributions to conceptions of place, memory and experience, so attempts at reconstruction of destroyed heritage which respects these extrinsic values is becoming more practiced. This is in defiance of a concern often voiced that reconstruction leads to inauthenticity and the ‘Disneyfication’ of place, and often in response to the desire of local populations to regain a dignified, functional, and meaningful environment. Using archival research, remote observation, and interviews, I have looked at the challenges of two reconstruction projects in Amedi and Mosul, north Iraq, including identifying how understanding of the heritage values of these places have been sought from their key project partners, and how they have addressed the reinstatement of those more traditionally valued attributes relating to historic fabric and form. I have evaluated their effectiveness in these areas and in that of deploying international resources to bring about sustainable and transferable approaches to tacking varying levels of neglect and destruction. In doing so I have tested the concept of authenticity in its traditionally understood sense of relating to historic fabric and sought to expand it to accommodate contemporary views on heritage values. Finally, I have sought to identify good practice for successful reconstruction projects, set out in a practical toolkit of recommendations for their inception and conduct.