The unbearable sustainability of cultural heritage: An attempt to create an index of cultural heritage sustainability in conflict and war regions

Abstract

The present article aims to shed light and encourage reflection on the implications of wars and conflicts for cultural heritage in the Middle East. It does so by developing a cultural heritage sustainability index for regions threatened by conflicts, with a particular focus on active war zones. The index is constructed using data from UNESCO for 207 countries from all continents. Due to the limitations of existing cultural statistics, it was only possible to present the index for one year (2008). To construct this index, we have used the method of multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) deriving from structural equation modelling. This method allows us to model the concept of cultural heritage sustainability due to conflict as a latent construct, influencing and being influenced by several general and specific indicators.