The Touch of Iconoclasm
Pitcher, B. 2020. The Touch of Iconoclasm. European Journal of Cultural Studies. 23 (2), pp. 454-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549418761794
| Title | The Touch of Iconoclasm |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Pitcher, B. |
| Abstract | This article reflects on some depicted, intentional acts of iconoclasm undertaken by Isis in Northern Iraq, and viewed as online videos. It attempts to consider what makes these moving images compelling to audiences who share an orientation to the protection and preservation of ancient artefacts. In doing so it prompts a reflection on their circulation as part of stories that get told about cultural heritage, and particularly the simple civilizational oppositions that get set up between ‘Western’ and ‘Islamic’ culture. Centring on the significance of the sensation of touch to practices of cultural inscription, it suggests that the Northern Iraq videos animate forms of synaesthesic material engagement that are denied by the modernist technologies of museum culture. |
| Keywords | iconoclasm, Isis, cultural heritage, touch, postcoloniality |
| Journal | European Journal of Cultural Studies |
| Journal citation | 23 (2), pp. 454-473 |
| ISSN | 1367-5494 |
| Year | 2020 |
| Publisher | Sage |
| Accepted author manuscript | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549418761794 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 10 Apr 2018 |
| Published in print | 01 Jun 2020 |