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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The workers' strike of 1963 at Tell Chuera: Persistence of colonial practices in Near Eastern archaeology?

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This case study appears in: Mays C, Laborie L, Griset P (eds) (2022) Inventing a shared science diplomacy for Europe: Interdisciplinary case studies to think with history. A team of archaeologists from Berlin under the direction of Prof. Anton Moortgat conducted, starting from 1958, excavations at the important ancient urban site of Tell Chuera in northeast Syria. The heterogeneous composition of the Syrian workforce contributed to frequent quarrels and conflicts. In October 1963, one of these conflicts escalated into a 5-day strike, during which the workers also demanded higher wages. After the involvement of local police by the archaeologists, the strike was ended with the threat of brutal punishment. The actions of the German team exposed the persistence of colonial attitudes among them and their lack of knowledge of the society of their host country. This continuation of highly asymmetric power relations between Western researchers and Near Eastern societies even long after the end of the imperial period highlights the necessity to develop an archaeological practice of true partnership for the future.