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VU Research Portal Beyond the Battlefields van der Schriek, M. 2020 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) van der Schriek, M. (2020). Beyond the Battlefields: Archaeological approaches to and heritage perspectives on modern conflict. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 07. Oct. 2021 Acknowledgements Over the past five years, I have felt very privileged that I have been able to turn my passion into an actual job. One of my earliest memories dates from the summer of 1989, when I was just 4-years old and on holiday near the Finnish town of Lieksa. In addition to the everlasting sunny days, the beautiful forests, the countless lakes and picking cloudberry fruit, I vividly remember some Finnish trenches of the Winter War (1939–1940) near today’s Finish-Russian border. Perhaps this was where my endless curiosity about modern conflict began. I dedicate this book to my family. Academic research has been a great journey, but without my sup- portive family it would have been much more difficult to reach the destination. First and foremost, I have to thank my parents, who have supported me over the years through all the good and bad times. Mum and dad, I could not possibly wish for better parents or for more loving grandparents for Axl! I hope you’ll still let me drag you to the muddy fields of France and Flanders every November. Without the help of my brother and best friend Jef, I would never have finished this thesis in 4.5 years’ time. During the last months he must have changed more diapers than I did, so that I could continue writing – at cost of his own PhD research. Furthermore, the countless visits to distant battlefields and unknown vintners from Finland to Slovenia and from Estonia to Spain would not have been so much fun without you. I cannot express in words my gratitude towards my wife for her eternal encouragement. First of all, Rita was crazy enough to marry me and second, it turns out that she still loves me – even though I forced her to traverse remote battlefields in her beautiful dresses. She has already accompanied me to Lithuania, Ireland, France, Flanders and Germany for my research and I hope we can continue to do so for the rest of our lives. Rita still reacts as sweet as ever when I enthusiastically show her a piece of rust or some inclination in a field, meaningless to her. After so many battlefield visits, I solemnly promise you can now go shopping more often when we’re on holiday! Despite her busy job, she was able to invaluably improve my manuscript with her feedback on every aspect of this study as a stringent reviewer. Yet the best gift you ever gave me is our beautiful son Axl, who showed me that there are so many more important things in life than work and research. I also owe many thanks to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Nico Roymans (Vrije Universiteit) who was brave enough to guide me during my research, although the subject was so modern in comparison to his own field. I am very grateful for the liberty he has given me throughout my time as a PhD candi- date. Surprisingly enough, I also enjoyed teaching and am thankful for the trust he had in me when I was instructing a new generation of students. The comments of my co-supervisors, Prof. Dr. Jan Kolen (Universiteit Leiden) and Prof. Dr. Rob van der Laarse (Universiteit van Amsterdam) greatly enhanced my study. Jan was the first who actually took my topic seriously when I proposed it back in 2006, still a student. Rob’s guidance sharpened my research and my research skills, especially when he suggested solutions that contradicted my own views. All three are well aware of the bumpy road I started on but they never let me down. I would like to thank the members of the thesis committee, Prof. Dr. Hans Renes (Vrije Universiteit), Prof. Dr. Michael Meyer (Freie Universität Berlin), Prof. Dr. James Symonds (Universiteit van Amster- dam), Prof. Dr. Hanneke Ronnes (Universiteit van Amsterdam), Prof. Dr. Martijn Eickhoff (Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie), Dr. Gertjan Plets (Universiteit Utrecht) and Dr. Jos Bazelmans (Rijksdienst Cultureel Erfgoed) for their willingness to examine the present thesis. Furthermore, the chairman Hans Renes also gave me the opportunity to teach his students for the course module ‘Land- ix scape Biographies.’ Personally, it was a unique experience to give a guest lecture in the course module that had triggered me so many years ago to embark on PhD research. During my research I received a lot of help from conflict archaeologists abroad. I will never forget the warm welcoming when I just started this study. In my very first month as a PhD researcher I attended the conference ‘Archéologie de la violence – violence de guerre, violence de masse’ which was held in Lens, France, where I met the ‘Godfather’ of conflict archaeology, Douglas D. Scott (Archaeological Institute of America). His encouragements were the greatest compliments a young researcher can receive. I greatly enjoyed the diners and drinks together in Lens, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Vilnius and Dublin with (in random sequence) Tim Sutherland (University of York), Gabriel Moshenska (University College London), Tony Pollard (University of Glasgow), Iain Banks (University of Glasgow), Suzie Thomas (University of Hel- sinki), Caroline Sturdy Colls (Staffordshire University), Mads Kähler Holst (Aarhus University), Augusta McMahon (University of Cambridge), Margaret Cox (Cranfield University) and Alfredo González- Ruibal (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). Since I was not able to present any research yet at Lens, I was very happy I could be of help with my basic knowledge of French. Every researcher needs rest and relaxation. I would like to thank my closest friends Marenne Zandstra, Rianne van Henten and Robin Bieze for all the good times we have had over the years – ever since we became acquainted as students. In different compositions we have been to Paris, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Prague, Antwerp, Gent, Waterloo and Brussels. Each year, we have at least one reunion which always seems to pass too quickly. Robin, the E3-Beach and Wynand Fockink have been forgiven by now but definitely not forgotten. I am glad you found your love in Germany, but it is a pity that we see each other much less often since you emigrated. Later, I also met Barbara Oosterwijk, Alexandra Pleşa and Judith Kindinger and renewed my contacts with Kimberley van den Berg, a fellow PhD at the Vrije Universiteit. Thanks for the memories in Amsterdam! I am also indebted to the supporting staff, especially Bert Brouwenstijn for making this thesis look like an appealing book, Jaap Fokkema, who was always willing to scan some old images or create a won- derful satellite image, and Benno Ridderhof who, in 2015, brought me to the International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies in Vienna and introduced me to Menno Kosian of the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE). Menne Kosian was kind enough to introduce me into LiDAR. Later, Willem Beex showed me the ropes of this technique. Without the help of Willem, chapter 6 would have never been so vividly and beautifully illustrated. I am confident that Willem would have been very proud of what this thesis has turned out to be. After all his help, I am very sad he never witnessed the end-product and my defence since he passed away far too soon. During my research, the discord between academic and commercial archaeologists became all too visible – from minor irritations to resolute obstruction. I did my very best to bridge this division and hopefully succeeded in doing so for a small part. I tried to be as nuanced as possible without losing track of academic discourse. In my experience, it is better to take small steps than to use big words. I am very grateful to Daniël Stiller (Archol) who gave the first comments on chapter 5 as an outsider. Although very busy himself, he did find the time to read this chapter not just once but twice, thus invaluable improving this part of my study. If any errors remain, these are entirely my fault. There are many more people who have helped me along the way and I hope I included them all. David Passmore (University of Toronto) and David Capps-Tunwell (Director of Conflict Landscapes Research Services) were of great help during my research, in particular during the categorisation of German logistics depots. I also owe many thanks to Maaike Groot (Freie Universität Berlin) for editing my paper for the journal of Landscape Research. She also invited me to give a guest lecture at the Freie Universität Berlin. Berlin is, in my opinion, the most beautiful, interesting and inspiring capital in the world.