The Affectual-Social Ecology of Cultural Artefacts: Illegal Markets and Religious Vandalism in Swat Valley, Pakistan

Abstract

Focusing on the rich social and affectual geography of heritage sites in Swat Valley, Pakistan, this paper takes an ethnographic approach to the complex synergy of the value registers of religion and economy and their role in the illegal antiquities market. We argue that ruptures like Taliban’s iconoclasm against the materiality of the pre-Islamic world requires a conceptual reframing of preservation, destruction, and looting within social and cultural frames of reference. Therefore, we reflect on how the illegal market of cultural artefacts in Swat is shaped by conflicting registers of religion and economy. We further examine how these conflicting value registers shape the ‘structures of feelings’ that shape and inform the preservation and destruction of heritage. To this end, we draw on interviews with illegal diggers and antiquity dealers, local archaeologists, heritage activists, and international experts on the Swat region.