Memoricide as post-conflict violence: the erasure of armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

Abstract

What happens to a people when its monuments, histories, and memories are systematically obliterated? In Nagorno-Karabakh, the answer to this question is unfolding in real time. Following the forced displacement of the Armenian population in 2023, a coordinated campaign has emerged to erase centuries of Armenian cultural presence from the region. This thesis examines how Armenian cultural heritage is being targeted by the Azerbaijani state through three interconnected strategies: the physical destruction of monuments, cultural misappropriation and digital erasure. Drawing on memory studies, cultural heritage scholarship, and international law, the research frames these acts as a form of memoricide: a deliberate attempt to eliminate collective identity by dismantling its material, historical, and symbolic foundations. However, can existing legal frameworks meaningfully address Armenian cultural destruction in Nagorno-Karabakh? While most legal instruments offer normative protections, they lack effective enforcement, particularly in cases where the perpetrating state serves as the custodian of the targeted heritage. The study exposes a critical blind spot in the international legal system’s ability to confront cultural violence in post-conflict settings. It argues for a reimagined legal and ethical framework that recognises the agency of affected communities and centres cultural memory as a vital component of justice and post-conflict recovery.