News
15th April 2013
CECH members hosted a delegation of Cultural Heritage managers and practitioners from Nepal last week, including the Mr Bhesh Dahal (Director-General for Archaeology, Government of Nepal), Sri Karma Sangbo Sherpa (Vice-chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust), Bisanta Bidari (World Heritage Property Manager, Lumbini), Ms Nabha Basnyat-Thapa (UNESCO Kathamndu Office), Mrs Saubhagya Pradhananga (World Heritage Officer, Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal). As part of a World Heritage exchange, they met with managers of World Heritage properties in Durham, Hadrians Wall and Studley Royal Park & Fountains Abbey, heritage practitioners and scholars at Jarrow, Bede's World and Vindolanda, and with Museum curators in Durham and Newcastle. This visit is part of Durham's ongoing research links with Nepal, and forms part of its development of a network of UNESCO World Heritage practitioners in order to share practice, strategy and visions.
The UNESCO delegation with Robin Coningham and Mark Manuel (Durham University) and Chris Fowler, General Manager of Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site, North Yorkshire.
3rd January 2013
The third season of fieldwork has begun at Lumbini, Birthplace of the Buddha. You can keep in touch with the progress of the project through the new blog.
1st January 2013
Members of CECH (Robin Coningham and Mark Manuel) have been invovled in creating a new exhibition detailing the development and spread of Buddhism within South Asia, in conjunction with the University's Oriental Museum and Palace Green Library. The Birth of Buddhism exhibition runs from the 10th January to the 7th April 2013. It features artefacts from the Oriental Museum's collection, as well as relics of the Buddha loaned from the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as stunning photographs taken by National Geographic photographer Ira Block.
25th November 2012
The second volume of the centres Ethics of Archaeology edited volume series was published by Cambridge University Press earlier this year. The volume, entitled Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Past, and edited by Geoffrey Scarre and Robin Coningham addresses significant ethical questions about the rights to access, manage and interpret the material remains of the past. Further details can be found here, and more information on publications linked to the centre can be found on the Publications page
1st November 2012
CECH welcomes two new members: Dr Robin Skeates who replaces Dr Marga-Diaz Andreu (Department of Archaeology) as a Director, and Dr Elisabeth Schellekens (Department of Philosophy).
Members of CECH were awarded funds from IAS on the topic Time and Heritage and a fellow appointment from Oct 2012-Dec 2012 for Prof Alison Wylie who is a world expert on the philosophy of archaeology whose research and work will complement the centre’s future research activities.
1st July 2012
Durham University awarded Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, an honorary Doctor of Letters during its summer graduation program, presented by CECH member Robin Coningham . As part of her visit to Durham she gave an extremely exciting talk on the current and future role of UNESCO in the world - Peace and Sustainability in the 21st Century: UNESCO's Contribution, held in the Senate Suite of the Castle - a World Heritage Site itself. The talk was well attended by staff and students of the University and marks the beginning of a wider interaction between heritage managers and university scholars.
Irina Bokova recieves her honorary Doctor of Letters from Prof Robin Coningham, Sir Thomas Allen and Prof Chris Higgins