Prospects of negative heritage management in Syria

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to illustrate some of the negative heritage created in Syria over the 11 bloody years following the start of the uprising in 2011 and how this heritage can be managed to promote justice.

Design/methodology/approach

Different motives and methods for negative heritage management are exemplified and compared to find out the most appropriate one(s) that can be adapted and adopted in the Syrian context. Based mainly on Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports, suggestions are made for the management of three cases of negative heritage in Syria by planning measures and solutions to promote justice. The three cases are the targeting of schools and hospitals, chemical attacks and Aleppo’s River Massacre. The effectiveness of the proposals is discussed and piloted by conducting a one-on-one conversational interview in 2021, related to the first proposal, and soliciting feedback on a social media platform, related to the third proposal.

Findings

Values-centred preservation based on the efforts of the community concerned with negative heritage, rather than the four existing governments in Syria, can lead to good management of recent negative heritage. The proposed virtual application of the proposals is a step that may itself be useful and may facilitate future practical application, as most of the exemplified sites are no longer accessible on the ground.

Originality/value

Ethically productive management of the negative heritage is promoted to seek more value-oriented dimensions of the conflict. Considering a fruitful use of the conflict in Syria can encourage positive thinking and counter the passive attitude towards the prolonged conflict.

Citation

Zarka, W. and Hajismail, S. (2022), "Prospects of negative heritage management in Syria", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2021-0139