Cultural Landscapes of War and Political Regeneration

Abstract

This article examines the production, uses, and reuses of cultural landscapes within contexts of warfare and political change. Ancient concerns over defense and security have led societies to construct fortification features involving extensive modifications to landscapes in many parts of the world. Social memories are often tied to these militarized landscapes, with embedded meanings and values that persist and morph through time. Due to the potential commemorative power offered by militarized landscapes, leadership strategies related to political regeneration can make use of these built environments. Consequently, the significance of these locales is not limited to military functions, as they can be appropriated by later societies for political agendas. The Co Loa site of modern-day Vietnam’s Red River delta, for instance, illustrates such a locality where warfare and politics intersect. Still standing largely intact today, the site’s monumental system of fortification features dominates the local landscape, reflecting broad alterations of the surrounding terrain. Although the system was originally put into place during the Iron Age, later societies have capitalized on the site’s physical and ideological properties for various military and sociopolitical agendas.

Coastal Erosion and Military Heritage in Latvia

“…Yet, it cannot be denied that monuments, together with the context they are embedded in, signify past conflict as well as the course of history -political, cultural and economic (Mitchell 2003). War landscapes can become entities of cultural wealth, often serving as national symbols, embodying a multitude of memories and meanings (Kim 2013).…”

Delivering the Deep: Maritime archaeology for the 21st century: selected papers from IKUWA 7

“…Thus, starting initially from the interpretative proposals of Maritime Cultural Landscape , this concept has been applied and adapted to the particular conditions of the bay of Cartagena de Indias. Based on its complex military and war history, today we have sought to understand this territory through approaches such as the 'Cultural Landscapes of War and Political Regeneration' (Kim 2013) or as a 'battlescape' (McKinnon and Carrell 2015).…”

The Neolithic and Chalcolithic Fortified Settlements of the Northernmost Eurasian Taiga

“…Previously published work on this subject has focused, in some cases more explicitly than others, on fortified landscapes (Arkush 2011;Earley-Spadoni 2015;Hill and Wileman 2002;Kim 2013;Kolb and Dixon 2002). After all, the study of fortifications has been, together with human remains, the most studied archaeological evidence for warfare (Arkush and Stanish 2005;Arkush and Tung 2013;Guilaine and Zammit 2005;Keeley et al 2007;Vencl 1984;Wilcox and Haas 1994).…”