Cultural and Economic Extractivism. Archaeology, Museum Formation and Resource Extraction in the Middle East, 1901-1946

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Bénédicte Savoy
• Subject Area: Art History
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 576029102

The proposed research project investigates the historical entanglements between archaeology, the petrol industry, and museum collection practices in the Middle East between 1901 and 1946. At its core lies the question of how infrastructural, economic, and epistemological logics overlapped in the context of extractive economies and shaped the production of museum knowledge. The aim is to systematically analyze these largely unexplored intersections and to contribute to a global history of museums and knowledge production. Although recent archaeological research increasingly incorporates geopolitical and postcolonial perspectives, the financial and industrial conditions of archaeological undertakings remain largely overlooked. Likewise, in the cultural studies-oriented field of oil research, engagement with archaeological practices remains a blind spot. This project addresses that gap by examining excavation activities and oil production in the Middle East for the first time through a relational lens. It focuses on objects whose trajectories can be traced from extraction and excavation zones into museums in the United States and Europe. Methodologically, the project is based on transregional source work and the analysis of infrastructure maps, corporate archives, excavation reports, correspondences, museum documents, as well as visual and film material. It combines approaches from the history of science, archaeology, technology, and museums and is structured into three closely coordinated work packages: WP1 investigates European actors (including museums, excavation institutions, and oil companies) and their entanglements in the Middle East during the mandate period, focusing on infrastructural, financial, and personnel networks between archaeology, resource exploitation, and colonial administration. WP2 analyzes U.S. constellations of cultural extractivism, particularly the interplay between philanthropically funded archaeology, religious framing, academic and economic interests. Both packages will be pursued through individual doctoral dissertations and, taken together, allow for a differentiated comparison of transatlantic constellations of actors. WP3, led by the Principal Investigator, develops a commented atlas of extractive movements of cultural assets and resources in the Middle East (1901–1946), visually mapping transfers, absences, and epistemic shifts. By combining historical case studies with critical cartography, the project opens up new perspectives on Western knowledge regimes, material cultures, and the history of museums - particularly in light of current debates on extractivism and global cultural heritage.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants