cultural heritage in sensitive Areas. the role of the italian archaeological research in the mena region

The poster presents a Ph.D. project launched at Sapienza Università di Roma (Ph.D. Marco Roversi), in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage and Ethics Research Unit of the CNR CID Ethics (P.I. Marco Arizza) and the CNR ISPC. This project aims to identify, assess, and analyze ethical challenges that arise in "sensitive" contexts within the MENA Region. Beginning with a comprehensive definition of ethical "sensitivity" specific to this area, the research investigates a range of sensitive scenarios through the survey of current archaeological research in that region. A crucial methodological step involves identifying geographical areas classified as "sensitive," applying a typological categorization of the various ethical issues and themes encountered. This innovative approach (never implemented before) facilitates the analysis of ethical topics through a systematic and data-driven process, such as the categorization of emerging issues or the administration of questionnaires to archaeologists or other research operators. Hosted within the CNR CID Ethics and ISPC, the project emphasizes also collaborations with prominent Italian archaeological teams working in challenging environments of the MENA Region, whose focus on archaeology, public archaeology, postcolonial archaeology and ethnoarchaeology will provide critical data from a region where research ethics on Cultural Heritage remains yet underexplored.