Post-Conflict Reconstruction, forced migration & community engagement: the case of Aleppo, Syria

The war in Syria, and the rise of non-state radical actors placed a spotlight on the scale and intensity of destruction of cultural heritage sites in Syria. The Ancient City of Aleppo, a World Heritage Site was particularly hard hit by the conflict and when the city was re-unified in late 2016, several national and international organisations started to plan its post-war reconstruction. However, despite the fact that the war in Syria is now approaching its end, the prospects of finding a sustainable route for heritage reconstruction in Aleppo are far from good. This article sets out to critique the top-down governmental approach to the reconstruction of Syria’s cultural heritage. By drawing upon empirical data collected from a survey conducted with people from Syria and Iraq, this article argues that if cultural heritage assets are to provide a unifying force for reconciliation, reintegration of displaced people, and future social cohesion then such an approach should be opposed and replaced by a bottom-up participatory approach, which gives voice to and builds consensus among all members of Syrian society.