“Braided Engagement” a New Concept to Community Participation in Archaeology and Heritage Practices.
NABATI MAZLOUMI, Yasaman / TAHIR, Chang Farhan / SIMI, Francesca
The University of Udine’s “The Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project” (LoNAP), in close cooperation with the Duhok Directorate of Antiquities & Heritage, has been working on the creation of the “Archaeological Park of the Duhok Governorate Ancient Irrigation System”. This will be the first ever archaeological park created in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, protecting and enhancing a group of extraordinary sites. These include imposing rock reliefs and monumental cuneiform inscriptions which commemorate an extensive irrigation system (over 240 km of canals and canalised watercourses) commissioned by King Sennacherib in the early 7th century BCE. To support sustainability and inclusivity during the park’s development, LoNAP has designed and implemented an extensive community participation programme aimed, on the one hand, at understanding and improving the local community's perception of the archaeological sites and the work of archaeologists and, on the other, to fulfil the needs and aspirations of the local communities through the park’s design and implementation. Drawing from this experience, we present the result of two years (2023-2024) of ethnoarchaeological fieldwork and community engagement alongside introducing the “Braided Engagement”, a new concept to community participation in archaeological and heritage practices.
Session 5. Public Engagement and Cultural Heritage. The Role of Communication and Dissemination in the Humanities [info]