FINAL PROJECT

Here is the link to my final project blog

http://thearchitectureofbukhara.blogspot.com

Blog#10 UNESCO

What I got from this week readings is that UNESCO from the day one of its existence was full of confusion. Firstly, there was a lot of misunderstanding in terminology, for example, “RACE”. It took a while to decide and come up with an appropriate definition; is it biological, philosophical or social? Another thing I am interested in finding out what Nations are the part of the UN is it more powerful egalitarian nations of the West and Europe who are in fact coming up and dictating the rules to the rest of the world.

When it comes to Afghanistan the strategy of saving historical monuments, art etc. begins by nation-building process WHITHIN the framework of the UN. This is very interesting fact to note that while they are helping to protect or restore historical artefacts the UN uses its own framework on building nation identity of Afghanistan. UN is coordinating all the activities in the field of culture. Even though the effective cooperation is emphasized I do not see it being true in the country that had no right of voice in the modern world.  How can that be acceptable in the era of human rights? Do people decide for themselves how to exist or they let more powerful to decide for them? Especially after the Bamyian Buddhas incident a lot attention has been directed in investing in cultural heritage of Afghanistan. My question is why people are spending so much money to support the sites at Afghanistan? Can it be because of the desire to be able to say more confidently that it is in fact the WORLD and INTERNATIONAL heritage site, and not just of Afghanis?

Since UN considers deliberate destruction of historical and cultural artefacts as moral degradation and crime against culture they consider such acts as direct attack against UNESCO and international community. Therefore, since it is considered to be crime the action should be taken. Once again, there is more confusion. It seems that Afghanistan is being exception to too many rules. I am, for example, did not even know about existence of certain rules during war times. First, it says that all the artefacts religious, historical, cultural etc. should be preserved during times of international war. But war in Afghanistan was not an international war. Then here is a rule that can be applied to a civil war. But it wasn’t a civil war since 90% of the population chose Taliban as a government….hmmm it doesn’t matter rules still apply and it is still crime against humanity. That made me think about the incident in Baghdad when the National Museum of Iraq was attacked and the American soldiers were standing across from it and watched looters plunder the Worlds treasures.

 So who does it belong to? It seems to me that when no one cares about the object it is the people of the region who are responsible for its preservation, but when something like Bamyian Buddha incident is happening and the object becomes popular theme for discussion than it starting to belong to the international community.

Blog #9 Islamisation

Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for  religious, political or ideological goals, deliberately target or disregard the safety of civilians, and are committed by non-government agencies.

I enjoyed reading this week articles very much. First of all, Gunn’s article mainly talks about Uzbekistan!!!!   Secondly, it talks about what is really going on there. Thirdly, all the articles showcase a social issue which is another great interest of mine. Lastly, all three pieces got me thinking really hard.

So if terrorism refers to violence perpetrated for religious, political or ideological goals and is not committed by government agencies …what is going on in Uzbekistan then? What I got from Gunn’s article “Shaping Islamic Identity” is that Uzbekistan is caught in between. On the one hand is gaining Islamic identity and separating itself completely from the past and Soviet Union and anything that has Russian identity. On the other hand,  tries to become a modern state and  doesn’t follow the same path as Afghanistan did, because of fear that C.A.   will become  a new battleground, with an excuse to its religious superiority. By doing so the government is suppressing many other religions that are not “official Islam” which can lead to the rise of Islamist movements. In Uzbekistan democracy seems to be the blanket that is covering complete totalitarianism in the eyes of the rest of the world. I would agree with the term “clash within civilization” but I would add that it is because of the fear of that  more powerful civilizations will be clashing onto C.A. and blaming it for its religious and cultural war. Colombia vs. Afghanistan was a good example.

It seems that everyone is blaming Islam for all the troubles in the world from 9/11 to Women’s lack of rights .That is what E. Said refers to  as Clash of Ignorance. He says that there is a big problem with the identifying labels.

What is Islam?   What is West? Does all Islam means is jihad, or it’s just a bunch of crazy fanatics? And how many Muslims live around the world, in U.S. in particular?

After all that we probably need a new definition for terrorism, as it appears governments and politicians are the ones who are creating terrorism   at its grassroots.

Blog # 7 Cosmopolitan Chang’an

Summing up in his article the history of the Tang Dynasty that was ruled by Li family from the 7^th century to the 10^th, Schafner refers to it as constantly changing times in Chinese history. He believes that the best way to differentiate them is by looking at the commerce and art of that period.

The 7^th century can be referred to as the era of conquest and settlement. In that period the prices were low, economy was stable, new taxes were introduced. Also, it could be viewed as the era of a social change when through official examination system (writing skills of candidates were tested) one could achieve a higher socio-economic status by passing the exam. That is probably why so many nations and races migrated at that time. At the end of the 7^th century Buddhism and Indian culture were at their peak.

The 8^th century was known as the “Fullness of T’ang”. Reign of Hsuan Tsang made China wealthy, safe and open for commerce. Yang-chou and Canton were the most popular centers of commerce at that time.

Then, the money economy came - people were using cash and thereafter the “Double Tax” reform was introduced, which in turn caused a collapse of independent farmers and rise of the merchant class.

The second half of the 8^th century was the time of decline and drop in population numbers due to deaths. It was a difficult time for the Chinese nation as it was surrounded by stronger neighbors such as Burma, India that did not want to gave up its independence, Uyghur, Turks, Khitans, Tibetans, Muslims with Arab pirates. It was also known as the century of tolerated foreign faiths. Bundy’s article is about the Nestorian missions in China, that is when the first Church of the East was approximately established. That was a perfect timing for someone of a foreign religion to approach the emperor asking to allow the preaching on the alien territory. Of course, it was difficult to sustain and rise when one competes with well established Buddhism or Manichaeism. Other factors were taken in consideration as well - some scholars say that they were “too foreign for superior culture”, or their abilities in translations did not satisfy the royalty (and made it hard for today’s scholars to study). Later on, Nestorians tried to tie in Middle-Eastern traditions with the local ones,which Chinese rulers highly encouraged foreigners to do. Perhaps Nestorians took a wrong approach as Bundy refers to it as apologetic. Perhaps due to the distance from the home land, Nestorian preaching did not reach high popularity within the locals, although some churches were built on territory of Chang’an  T’angs capital. I would probably agree and say that they were too foreign for the Chinese, the religion missed that exotic twist, the mysticism that attracted them so much.

By the 9^th century everything goes downhill with the ruling age of Huang Chao. It is known as the most fatal of human disasters in that century. Huge massacre of foreigner merchants at Canton in 879c.e. only shows negative impact on the trade. 

The 10^th century house of Li and Tang disappeared.

Obviously, China has been known for it’s obsession with political power, religion and commerce. Many wanted to migrate there, the most popular type of new comers were envoys, clerics and merchants. People traveled on land with caravans, from mountains and by sea. Port Canton was the most popular stop for “barbarians”. Canton was known for its pirate raids, corrupt officials and murderers – therefore, some preferred other ways of reaching the superior land.

Yang-chou, on the other side, was known as the jewel of China. Rich businessmen wanted to be there as it was the banking centre of China.

Chang’an can bee seen as racist in today perspective, as the rules and policies of the city could change on the spot depending on the race of the foreigners. The city was separated by “zones”. Western Market was for foreigners – it was more violent, but exotic. Strict surveillance was enforced all around the city, but was significantly higher in that area. Eastern Market, located closer to palace was richer and less crowded.

Chinese obsession with everything exotic was reflected in almost everything from fashion and art to their literature and religion.

Blog entry # 6 Dunhuang Caves

Presented articles by S.Fraser and Ma Shichang describe the decoration techniques and specific locations of the caves discovered in Dunhuang. This fascinating discovery helps us to understand the religious life of people during Tang dynasty. Themes such Magic Competition (murals presented in 16 caves-shrines, that took over 90 years to complete ), The Cave of the Thousand Buddhas at Magao caves and other Buddhist motifs demonstrate that Buddhism played a major role at that time and thereafter. This could be seen from the amount of effort that was put into the decoration of the caves. The caves served for variety of purposes - from meditating, storing sacred scrolls and utilizing them as workshops for artists to appropriating them as homes for locals. This is even more helpful in studying Chinese history today. Around 500 caves were discovered in the region, most of which were decorated by professional artists that worked at these workshops. The artists used variety of techniques from sketching to copying paintings and others. Sketches made a very important discovery - looking at them, one can see how the mind of the artist worked, as they were made more freely and spontaneously. In the copying techniques, pouncing and paper cutting were used. Even though some of the caves were not made for the purpose of evident demonstration, all of them were thoroughly decorated. The techniques that were used were well developed, and professional artists were sometimes hired by local ruling families such as Zhang and Cao clan to work on them. Once again, that proves that Buddhism was as important for common citizens as it was for the upper class.