From the earliest civilizations, victorious armies would loot defeated cities or nations. the practice evolved into art theft as a symbol of power. Cultural superiority confirmed a country or empire’s regime. Throughout history, the Greeks and Romans cultivated, Napoleon Bonaparte refined, and Adolf Hitler perfected the practice of plunder. As the tides of Second World War began to shift in favor of the Allied Powers, special commissions, established to locate the Germans’ hoards of treasure, discovered Nazi art repositories filled with art objects looted from throughout Europe. the Soviet Union Trophy Commission and the Western Allies Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Commission competed to discover Nazi war loot. the two organizations not only approached the subject of plunder as a treasure hunt, but the ideology motivating both commissions made uncovering the depositories first, a priority. the Soviet trophy brigades’ mission was to dismantle all items of financial worth and ship them eastward to help rebuild a devastated Soviet economy. the Soviet Union wished for the re-compensation of cultural valuables destroyed by the Nazis’ purification practices regarding “inferior” Slavic art and architecture; however, the defeated German nation did not have the ability to reimburse the Soviet State. the trophy brigades implemented a process of restitution in kind to make physical reparations through the confiscation of Nazi war loot. the Western Allies disagreed with the Soviet Union’s policy. the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Commission endeavored to return artwork looted by the Germans to the rightful owners or surviving descendants. Historically, the Western perspective of the Soviet Union’s actions was that the trophy brigades looted the conquered German Reich; however, during the period of Glasnost and after the fall of the Soviet Union, personal memoirs and interviews of Soviet trophy brigade members and museum officials have become available, and the Soviet viewpoint better understood. By analyzing both organization’s principles and actions, historians can assume a new disposition. the trophy brigades and the MFAA worked to salvage Nazi war loot, but the two commissions took divergent approaches as to what should be done with the spoils of war. It must be appreciated that decisions made sixty-seven years ago were made by nations attempting to do what they deemed morally correct but the lack of communication behind each ideology has made Western nations stand in judgment of the Soviet Union’s response.

Throughout 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) was a major news story for its destruction of Ancient Near Eastern collections and heritage sites, which created a spectacle across media. The focus of ISIS’s infamous video uploaded in February of 2015 was the colossal statue of a Lamassu, which was an ancient Assyrian guard deity. By focusing on the Lamassu, this thesis aims to address the Western concept of a “cradle of civilization” and ISIS’s motivation for destroying the sculpture. I utilize Kwame Appiah’s philosophy of cosmopolitanism in order to flesh out the language in which ISIS is communicating, namely through its destruction. What becomes apparent is a complex relationship with Near Eastern antiquities, which is best understood by analyzing the motivations of local looters. To conclude, I use ISIS’s destruction in order to offer thoughts on the concept of destruction with an aim to open dialogue regarding differing cultural value systems.

No description available.

No Chile, país de terremotos, a surpresa foi total quando multitudinários saques a estabelecimentos comerciais começaram logo depois do megassismo que atingiu, na madrugada de sábado 27 de fevereiro de 2010, Concepción, a terceira maior área metropolitana do país. Organizaram-se nos bairros estratégias de autodefesa por temor aos rumores sobre a chegada de saqueadores. Para se restabelecer a ordem social, foi decretado Estado de Exceção. Este estudo exploratório e qualitativo busca enxergar a relação entre terremoto, violência coletiva e insegurança urbana com base nos depoimentos de homens e mulheres que entrevistamos em Concepción dois anos depois do cataclismo. Inspirados no debate teórico sobre a memória coletiva, analisaremos os silêncios e olvidos que fazem parte dos testemunhos; assim, iremos interrogar o caráter inédito que os entrevistados, mas também acadêmicos e autoridades, outorgaram aos saques pós-terremoto, que, como iremos ver, foram interpretados como sintoma do deterioramento moral da sociedade chilena sob o regime neoliberal. Por intermédio de diferentes registros do passado, buscaremos rastros sobre conflitos sociais e políticos em outros momentos da história telúrica nacional. Sobre os episódios de 2010 em específico, e seguindo os trabalhos de Charles Tilly e Javier Auyero, apresentamos numa escala microespacial alvos, dinâmicas e repertórios dos saques conforme as rememorações dos consultados, entre eles, donos de lojas vitimizados pela multidão. Por fim, para indagar o deslocamento do medo do terremoto ao medo dos outros, chamaremos a atenção sobre os modos pelos quais são representados diferentes bairros da cidade e o papel dos rumores. / Chileans, a population used to earthquakes, woke up with surprise in the morning of February 27th, 2010 since right after the earthquake that hit Concepción, the third largest metropolitan area in the country, massive looting to stores came about. Fed by rumors about roving mobs, Concepcion residents formed their own neighborhood defense squads to guard their homes, whereas the Chilean government declared State of Exception to restore the social order. Drawing on testimonies of men and women I interviewed in Concepción two years after the disaster, this exploratory and qualitative research examines the relationship between earthquake, collective violence, and urban insecurity. Following a theoretical discussion about collective memories, I explore how silence and forgetting are active elements in the process of collective remembering. In addition, this project analyzes the sense of exceptionality that my interviewees, other scholars, and state authorities have assigned to looting in the aftermath of the earthquake; events that, as I shall demonstrate, were interpreted as a symptom of moral decadence of Chilean society under the neoliberal regime. By scrutinizing historical data about past earthquakes, I look at traces of social and political conflicts associated with the occurrence of natural disaster like the one I describe here. Concerning the 2010 facts, I make use of the framework offered by Charles Tilly and Javier Auyero to present, at a micro-scale level, looting targets, dynamics and repertoires based on narratives collected empirically (among them, testimonies of storeowners who were victimized by the crowd). Finally, to explore the displacement of fearin particular, from the fear to earthquake to the fear of the othersI point out the need to pay attention to the ways in which different neighborhoods are conceived of as well as the role of rumors.

No Chile, país de terremotos, a surpresa foi total quando multitudinários saques a estabelecimentos comerciais começaram logo depois do megassismo que atingiu, na madrugada de sábado 27 de fevereiro de 2010, Concepción, a terceira maior área metropolitana do país. Organizaram-se nos bairros estratégias de autodefesa por temor aos rumores sobre a chegada de saqueadores. Para se restabelecer a ordem social, foi decretado Estado de Exceção. Este estudo exploratório e qualitativo busca enxergar a relação entre terremoto, violência coletiva e insegurança urbana com base nos depoimentos de homens e mulheres que entrevistamos em Concepción dois anos depois do cataclismo. Inspirados no debate teórico sobre a memória coletiva, analisaremos os silêncios e olvidos que fazem parte dos testemunhos; assim, iremos interrogar o caráter inédito que os entrevistados, mas também acadêmicos e autoridades, outorgaram aos saques pós-terremoto, que, como iremos ver, foram interpretados como sintoma do deterioramento moral da sociedade chilena sob o regime neoliberal. Por intermédio de diferentes registros do passado, buscaremos rastros sobre conflitos sociais e políticos em outros momentos da história telúrica nacional. Sobre os episódios de 2010 em específico, e seguindo os trabalhos de Charles Tilly e Javier Auyero, apresentamos numa escala microespacial alvos, dinâmicas e repertórios dos saques conforme as rememorações dos consultados, entre eles, donos de lojas vitimizados pela multidão. Por fim, para indagar o deslocamento do medo do terremoto ao medo dos outros, chamaremos a atenção sobre os modos pelos quais são representados diferentes bairros da cidade e o papel dos rumores. / Chileans, a population used to earthquakes, woke up with surprise in the morning of February 27th, 2010 since right after the earthquake that hit Concepción, the third largest metropolitan area in the country, massive looting to stores came about. Fed by rumors about roving mobs, Concepcion residents formed their own neighborhood defense squads to guard their homes, whereas the Chilean government declared State of Exception to restore the social order. Drawing on testimonies of men and women I interviewed in Concepción two years after the disaster, this exploratory and qualitative research examines the relationship between earthquake, collective violence, and urban insecurity. Following a theoretical discussion about collective memories, I explore how silence and forgetting are active elements in the process of collective remembering. In addition, this project analyzes the sense of exceptionality that my interviewees, other scholars, and state authorities have assigned to looting in the aftermath of the earthquake; events that, as I shall demonstrate, were interpreted as a symptom of moral decadence of Chilean society under the neoliberal regime. By scrutinizing historical data about past earthquakes, I look at traces of social and political conflicts associated with the occurrence of natural disaster like the one I describe here. Concerning the 2010 facts, I make use of the framework offered by Charles Tilly and Javier Auyero to present, at a micro-scale level, looting targets, dynamics and repertoires based on narratives collected empirically (among them, testimonies of storeowners who were victimized by the crowd). Finally, to explore the displacement of fearin particular, from the fear to earthquake to the fear of the othersI point out the need to pay attention to the ways in which different neighborhoods are conceived of as well as the role of rumors.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Communication, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-77).

No description available.

L’usage du terme « logistique » dans son sens militaire est relativement récent dans l’historiographie de la guerre (il date essentiellement de quelques dizaines d’années) et le mot est complexe à définir. S’intéresser à la logistique militaire, c’est non seulement s’intéresser au ravitaillement de l’armée, mais aussi à ses déplacements, son équipement, son logement et son service sanitaire. Des sujets qui sont donc à la fois variés et très différents les uns des autres et pour lesquels les sources ne sont pas toujours satisfaisantes. Le monde hellénistique que nous étudions s’étend de Marseille à Aï Khanoum (Afghanistan) et comprend à la fois les royaumes et les cités. Les espaces concernés influencèrent les choix stratégiques des généraux. L’impact qu’eut la logistique militaire dans l’issue des conflits militaires hellénistiques est difficile à évaluer et peut aller de négligeable à déterminant. Mais la logistique militaire ne se résume pas à l’influence de celles-ci dans les guerres et aborde aussi des questions économiques et sociales. / The use of the term "logistics" in its military sense is relatively recent in the historiography of war (it dates essentially from a few decades) and the word is complex to define. To be interested in military logistics isn’t only to be interested in supplying the army, but also in its transport, equipment, housing and sanitary services. These subjects are therefore at the same time varied and very different from each other and the sources aren’t always sufficient. The Hellenistic world we are studying extends from Marseille to Ai Khanoum (Afghanistan) and includes both kingdoms and cities. The spaces concerned influenced the strategic choices of the generals. The impact of military logistics on the outcome of Hellenistic military conflicts is difficult to evaluate and can range from negligible to decisive. Military logistics, however, aren’t limited to their influence in wars, but also concern economic and social issues.

No description available.

Iraq is a country of great cultural significance as it is where civilization first began. As a result of its lengthy occupation, it is virtually one large archaeological site. In spite of numerous warnings to the governments of both the United States and the United Kingdom, no efforts were made to protect the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad when the American-led coalition unlawfully invaded Iraq. Indeed, orders were given not to interfere with the looting. During the occupation that followed, the United States failed to take steps to protect Iraqi cultural property. In terms of international law, it was obliged to protect Iraq’s cultural property. The United States also chose to exacerbate its unlawful conduct by occupying archaeological sites and damaging them further by illegal construction. As a result many significant sites have been irreparably damaged or destroyed. Their conduct was the result of complete indifference to the Iraqi cultural heritage. Although their actions render them iin breach of international law, it is unlikely that the United States will ever be prosecuted for its actions. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)