Location
Palermo
Start Date
26-6-2025 9:30 AM
End Date
26-6-2025 11:00 AM
Description
Acts of vandalism against monuments have been recorded since antiquity. According to the German historian Gregorovius, the habit of travelers carving their names onto monuments is as ancient as human vanity itself. In the Egyptian Thebes, Greek and Roman travelers covered the Colossus of Memnon with inscriptions. Vandalism as an act began to be scientifically studied during the 1970s and 1980s by researchers from various disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, criminology, law, architecture, and others. The documentation of acts of vandalism in tourism has been noted by researchers, although the phenomenon has not received significant attention in academic study. The issue of vandalism becomes more pronounced when it involves historical monuments, heritage sites, and particularly religious monuments. This study aims to document and classify incidents of vandalism in religious sites on an international scale through the investigation of relevant cases and the analysis of related incidents. Also, the review seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of empirical research on the motivations leading to vandalism and deviant visitor behavior, as well as intervention strategies for managing such behaviors. The research highlights a range of intervention strategies to mitigate vandalism, supported by the utilization of new technologies. This review offers a foundation for further exploration by theorists and practitioners aiming to prevent acts of vandalism in religious monuments.
Creative Commons License
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/ygts-x283
Included in
A1) Preserving the Sacred: Combating Vandalism in Religious Monuments
Palermo
Acts of vandalism against monuments have been recorded since antiquity. According to the German historian Gregorovius, the habit of travelers carving their names onto monuments is as ancient as human vanity itself. In the Egyptian Thebes, Greek and Roman travelers covered the Colossus of Memnon with inscriptions. Vandalism as an act began to be scientifically studied during the 1970s and 1980s by researchers from various disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, criminology, law, architecture, and others. The documentation of acts of vandalism in tourism has been noted by researchers, although the phenomenon has not received significant attention in academic study. The issue of vandalism becomes more pronounced when it involves historical monuments, heritage sites, and particularly religious monuments. This study aims to document and classify incidents of vandalism in religious sites on an international scale through the investigation of relevant cases and the analysis of related incidents. Also, the review seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of empirical research on the motivations leading to vandalism and deviant visitor behavior, as well as intervention strategies for managing such behaviors. The research highlights a range of intervention strategies to mitigate vandalism, supported by the utilization of new technologies. This review offers a foundation for further exploration by theorists and practitioners aiming to prevent acts of vandalism in religious monuments.