Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
In the Sicilian maritime town of Acitrezza, the tangible cultural and intangible heritage in the Rodolico’s shipyard has been unrecognised over the past years and rarely promoted as part of...Show moreIn the Sicilian maritime town of Acitrezza, the tangible cultural and intangible heritage in the Rodolico’s shipyard has been unrecognised over the past years and rarely promoted as part of cultural or economic-oriented activities of the area. For a long time, approaches to cultural heritage in Acitrezza have only celebrated the Verga’s greatest masterpiece, I Malavoglia, and the local protected marine area, characterised by the presence of the Faraglioni basaltic rocks. The protracted indifference of the local authority toward the shipyard combined with internal family dynamics seems to condemn this genius loci to oblivion. People believe this misrecognition leads to ignoring a sense of local identity made up of “marine carpentry affairs” and centuries-old tangible and intangible heritage practices that might be meaningful to the local community. This thesis employs a collaborative methodology called Participatory Video (PV) to investigate an alternative past for the town of Acitrezza, possibly incorporating the shipyard and shipwrights into a new local heritage policy and strategy. Two different approaches, underpinning two cases studies, characterise this methodology: the postcolonial author approach, which consists of an equal and peer-to-peer relationship between researchers and informants to create videos about tangible and intangible heritage, and the author as “a fly in the soup” approach, which enables informants to create their own personal and community narrative-commentary about private photographs of Acitrezza (and more!). Through the collaborative video-creation process, the thesis demonstrates that the PV methodology can be suitable for collaboration with people when dealing with local issues.Show less
This thesis investigates how article 7 of the Malta Convention is implemented in the Netherlands. Article 7 deals with the enabling of the study of and dissemination of archaeological information....Show moreThis thesis investigates how article 7 of the Malta Convention is implemented in the Netherlands. Article 7 deals with the enabling of the study of and dissemination of archaeological information. This is achieved by requiring the writing of a summary record after an excavation and a national overview of all archaeological data. First, it focusses at how this is realised in the Netherlands through legislation and policy. All Dutch summary records and other archaeological data are stored at the DANS institute. By looking at the way in which this repository is set up, it can be stated that DANS stores data in a sustainable way. Next it analyses the archaeological use and user data of DANS. This is achieved by inspecting the user account data on research interest and the amount that belongs to the archaeological professional’s group. This group consists of ca. 3000 registered users. Further it investigates the use of DANS by looking at the downloading of archaeological datasets and files. It will evaluate the depositing of datasets within the archaeology discipline. In the use and user-analysis the focus is placed on the years 2017 and 2018. From this analysis it becomes clear that DANS is frequently used to gather archaeological data. This reuse of data can mainly be ascribed to professional archaeologists. This indicates that the archaeological data is being reused in further research. The deposition data reveals that the depositing of data is done by only a small part of the archaeological user community. Subsequently a chapter is committed to a short overview of other European countries, with a focus on comparing the situation in England to that of the Netherlands. For while the system of both countries seems similar, with features such as commercial archaeology, a trusted repository and long archaeological tradition, there are still significant differences between both heritage management systems. Further, there is a chapter dedicated to international collaboration on making archaeological data available internationally. Malta article 8 treats the promoting and sharing of archaeological information nationally and internationally. One step taken towards this goal is the ARIADNE project, a European Union funded project in which several partners created a data infrastructure that could search international archaeological archives. The steps to attain this search portal are described, with observations on how ARIADNE needs to be improved for it to become a true asset. The work on the portal is continued in the next phase ARIADNEplus. 88 In conclusion the study finds that the connotations of article 7 have been deeply embedded in archaeology practiced in the Netherlands. This has been a cooperation of state legislation, spatial planning policy, quality guidelines and storage protocols that have been drafted through an active dialogue between archaeologists and government. This has resulted in making the archives part of the knowledge cycle, by actively incorporating old data into new research.Show less
This thesis examines developments around the politicization of the Taj Mahal by Hindu nationalists and its consequences on a local, national and international level. The act is discussed against...Show moreThis thesis examines developments around the politicization of the Taj Mahal by Hindu nationalists and its consequences on a local, national and international level. The act is discussed against the background of the currently ruling right-wing Indian government and the construction of an Indian national identity. By linking the case to the dynamics of meaning making around heritage, the thesis questions notions on the material and symbolic value of heritage in heritage representation. Moreover, the understanding of ‘heritage in conflict’ as it is done from an international perspective is challenged. Here, the discussion emphasizes the role and importance of international regulation regarding the protection of heritage sites outside conflict zones. The study concludes by drawing attention to the limitations of international governance in heritage management and further developments around the concept, which offer interesting fields to be explored.Show less
Abstract This thesis is focuses on the how different stakeholders value the archaeological record and the archaeological policy in the municipality of Apeldoorn. There has been almost no research...Show moreAbstract This thesis is focuses on the how different stakeholders value the archaeological record and the archaeological policy in the municipality of Apeldoorn. There has been almost no research to this subject, while the archaeological record is part of the heritage of the people, and not just of the archaeologists. The thesis starts with the formulating of the research questions and is then followed by an explanation of the methods that were used to answer the different sub questions. The first part of the thesis focuses on the history of archaeological research in the Netherlands and on burial mounds, and the legislative background of archaeological protection in the Netherlands. This was to clarify how the archaeological record came to be and to what extend the archaeology in the Netherlands can be protected via legislation. The archaeological record is the result of differing policies in the past, but as often the focus for protection of archaeological features lay on visibility, burial mounds are now over represented on the monuments list. Indication programs are designed to give priority of protection to archaeological features that are under represented on the monuments list. Since the Treaty of Valletta was signed by the Netherlands in 1992, the focus of protection came to protection in urban planning. With taking archaeology in account in the early phases of new development plans. The new situation also led to the foundation of commercial archaeological companies, while the quality is guarded by the Quality Standard for Dutch archaeology. The second part of the thesis focuses on the opinion of different stakeholders. Three interviews were held with three representatives of different stakeholder groups. One interview was held with a representative of a nature preservation organization, one interview with the municipal archaeologist of Apeldoorn and one with a representative of a housing association organization. From these interviews it became clear that the stakeholders are content with the present situation. The only point to which more attention might be given is the provision of information, both for obtaining more specific information as for sharing archaeological information. Apart from these three interviews, the opinion of the inhabitants of the municipality of Apeldoorn was gathered by handing out questionnaires, as the local inhabitants can 84 also be seen as stakeholders. It became clear that most respondents agree with the protection of burial mounds, but that they are divided as to who should be involved in the selection process of appointing new archaeological monuments. After analyzing the differing aspects of the thesis, the main question could be answered. It seems that there is a good balance in Apeldoorn between the need to protect and preserve the archaeological record and the need of other purposes for the land.Show less
