In the Ruins of the Past
Destruction of cultural heritage makes representing the past accurately a challenge for historians. In this month’s cover story, Rachel Van Bokkem explores how destroying the past can be as deliberate as the demolition of Middle Eastern heritage sites by ISIS to as mundane as archival neglect. “Even when unintentional,” Van Bokkem writes, “the damage nevertheless influences researchers in how they analyze the past and the sources they use to do so.” Image: “Chaos in the Library,” MKolesnikov/depositphotos
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