Towards an Archaeology of Devastation

This volume explores the concept of landscape devastation through the lens of archaeology, history, and social theory, focusing on the deliberate destruction of human-place relationships. It interrogates how societies, past and present, have responded to sudden, often violent, disruptions that sever connections between identity, memory, and space. Drawing on diverse case studies across time and geography, the chapters examine the consequences of warfare, genocide, forced displacement, and cultural erasure, considering how such traumas catalyse social change, shape resilience, and lead to the reformation—or obliteration—of landscape identities. Central to the analysis are four research foci: impacts on mental landscapes, empowerment/disempowerment through devastation, recovery strategies, and the societal structures that emerge post-disruption. The book offers timely insights into the long-term cultural and social reverberations of landscape loss.