Archaeological Approaches to and Heritage Perspectives on Modern Conflict: Beyond the Battlefields

From a wider disciplinary perspective, modern conflict archaeology is now a thoroughly established and mature subdiscipline. However, a significant problem conflict archaeologists in the Netherlands face is that modern eras, including both world wars, have so far not received serious attention. Although both world wars appeal strongly to the popular imagination, until recently, Dutch researchers had not approached modern conflict from an academic archaeological perspective to any great extent. This is partly the result of problematic legislation on archaeological activity in the Netherlands. When applied and interpreted appropriately, archaeology can play an important role in the preservation, contemporary experience and historical reconstruction of recent conflicts. However, as Archaeological Approaches to and Heritage Perspectives on Modern Conflict: Beyond the Battlefields argues, research methods other than excavations will be needed to conduct conflict archaeology in the Netherlands effectively. This study aims to develop a Dutch approach to conflict archaeology, integrating archaeology, heritage research and history at a landscape scale.

Max van der Schriek studied both Heritage Studies (2009) and Archaeology (2010) at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Between 2014 and 2019 he conducted his PhD research on modern conflict archaeology in the Netherlands. This was the very first academic study on this topic in the Netherlands.