Conferenza CAA 2019: call for papers

Fra le 46 sessioni tematiche che verranno affrontate durante la conferenza, reperibili qui, risulta di particolare interesse la Session 27, intitolata Chasing heritage thieves: digital methods and approaches to contrasting trafficking and looting of cultural property. La sessione ha come obbiettivo quello di raccogliere le più recenti iniziative sul tema, volte alla comprensione del fenomeno del saccheggio e del mercato illecito di antichità.

L’invito dei direttori della sezione, Arianna Traviglia dell’Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia e Riccardo Giovanelli, ricercatore indipendente, è quello di discutere approcci e metodi in adozione o in fase di elaborazione per avanzare nella risoluzione di questi problemi, come l’uso del remote sensing, il ruolo della network analysis, la creazione di database, ma anche nuovissimi approcci come analisi quantitative, modelli predittivi, data mining, analisi statistiche, deep learning, blockchain fino a toccare l’uso dei social media.

Di seguito il testo originale della call:

“Looting and trafficking of cultural heritage, especially archaeological, is now a global scale phenomenon, the origins of which are rooted in history. Since the ’70s, despite the 1970 UNESCO convention, plundering and illicit trade of cultural property has become an increasing trend with major consequences to internal security, economies and even loss of cultural identity, which exists without distinction at all latitudes, in the most advanced economies of the planet as well as in less wealthy countries. More recently, the phenomenon has been further exacerbated by conflict and turmoil in areas where political stability is compromised. Studies draw a firm connection between increased looting with the political destabilisation of the states.

The last decades have also witnessed several initiatives, promoted by a diverse set of actors engaged in the protection of endangered cultural heritage and halting illicit trade, that rely increasingly on technological and digital advances to combat such illegal activities. This session aims to take stock of ongoing initiatives and bring together emerging digital practices aimed at understanding the complexity of the phenomena of pillage and illicit trade in archaeological objects and evaluate them. We invite participants to discuss approaches and methods that are being adopted (or proposed) to foster remediation and resolution. This includes (but it is not limited to) established practices such as the use of remote sensing to detect looting activities, the role of network analysis to model illicit antiquities trade, the establishment of (local or global) databases of lootable or looted items, together with less explored (but highly promising) methods such as quantitative analysis, predictive modelling, data mining (especially on the dark web where looted properties are often traded), statistical analysis, deep learning, block chain technologies, and even apps and social media.

L’invio degli abstract per partecipare alla conferenza scade il 10 Ottobre 2018 alle ore 11.59 (CET). Le informazioni necessarie per l’invio sono reperibili a questo link.

Riccardo Giovanelli