First published in 2020 by
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Text Esther Breithoff, 2020
Images Author and copyright holders named in captions, 2020
Esther Breithoff has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as author of this work.
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Breithoff, E. 2020. Conflict, Heritage and World-Making in the Chaco: War at the End of the Worlds? London, UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787358065
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ISBN: 978-1-78735-808-9 (Hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-78735-807-2 (Pbk)
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787358065
This book has been many years in the making, and drafts of it have travelled with me to London, where I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the UCL Institute of Archaeology (201618), followed by Troms, where I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (201819), and finally back to London again where in May 2019 I accepted my current position as UKRI Future Leaders Fellow/Lecturer in Contemporary Archaeology and Heritage at Birkbeck, University of London. The book, and the dissertation on which it draws, would not have been possible without the help of many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my PhD supervisors at the University of Bristol, Nicholas Saunders and Volker Heyd, for their continuous support and advice. Nick, and his innovative approach to the material culture and landscapes of conflict, has been a constant source of inspiration since my days as an MA student at the University of Bristol. Special thanks also go to Alfredo Gonzlez-Ruibal, whose influential work on the archaeologies of conflict has had a major impact on my own research, for being a generous PhD examiner and offering invaluable advice on how to improve the thesis. I am also grateful to the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg for kindly funding my research (201215) and to Banco Santander for awarding me the Santander Travel Grant for Research in Latin America in 2011 and again in 2013.
In Paraguay I would like to say a very special thanks to Ruth Alison Bentez de Casanova, who not only went out of her way to make things happen for me but has also become a valued friend in the process. Your passion for archaeology is contagious! I would also like to thank the Secretara Nacional de Cultura, the Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay, the Archivo del Instituto de Historia y Museo Militar del Ministerio de Defensa Nacional and all the people who contributed in one way or another to my research. I am particularly indebted to my many new Paraguayan friends, with whom I had great conversations over countless rounds of terer.
In the Chaco I extend my sincere gratitude to the indigenous communities, war veterans and the Mennonite colonies of Fernheim, Menno and Neuland for their warm welcome and for sharing their memories with me. I am especially thankful for the continuous support of Hans Fast, Heinz Wiebe, Gundolf Niehbur, Uwe Friesen and Hans Boschmann over the years. Hans F.s and Heinzs knowledge of the Chaco is inexhaustible, and it was both a great privilege and an adventure to learn from them. I would furthermore like to thank Verena Regehr for giving me access to her private collection of indigenous objects and Peter Toews for granting me access to his private museum and property. Thank you also to the RC1 Valois Rivarola military division in Pozo Colorado for putting soldiers and transport at my disposal during my fieldwork in Nanawa, as well as the landowners for letting me conduct research on their property. For their friendship and hospitality, I would like to thank Mary Esther Sawatzky, Elisabeth Niehbur and Erika Dck.
Further north on the map, my warmest thanks go to Jane Kimball for inviting me into her home in New Mexico to study the Chaco War shells from her incredible trench art collection. Regrettably Jane has since passed away and I dedicate to her memory.
Even further north I would like to extend my gratitude to my Unruly Heritage team at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, especially Bjrnar Olsen and Torgeir Bangstad for commenting on a draft of the introduction. Thank you also to ra Ptursdttir, Genevive Godin, Anatolijs Venovcevs and Stein Farstadvoll for inspiring team discussions during my time as Postdoctoral Fellow in Troms. Many thanks also to Tina Paphitis for travelling all the way to the Arctic and giving up her time to make insightful comments on the introductory chapter.
In Denmark and the UK, I would furthermore like to thank Laura McAtackney and James Dixon for taking the time to read through the historical background chapter in my PhD and for all their helpful suggestions many of which have made it into in this book. I am also grateful to Sue Grice for lending me her map drawing skills in Chapter 1. I would like to thank the postdoctoral researchers of Room 613 at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, especially Chiara Bonacchi, Peter Schauer and Colin Sterling, for exciting discussions on heritage-related issues during my time there as Postdoctoral Research Associate. Here I would also like to extend my thanks to my Heritage Futures team. Having been part of this ambitious project has undoubtedly informed and inspired the framework of this book. I would also like to thank Gabriel Moshenska, Matthew Leonard, Emily Glass, John Winterburn, Phil Rowe and Neil Faulkner for numerous stimulating conflict archaeology-related discussions both over pints in Bristol and London, and inside trenches and tent rings in the Jordanian desert.
, and Jennifer Baird for insightful suggestions that helped me improve the text.
At UCL Press I would like to thank Chris Penfold and Robert Davies for guiding me through the publication process and for all the work they have put in to get this book published. I would also like to express my gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers for their encouraging feedback and helpful comments on the manuscript.
As always, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to my parents and sisters for all their unwavering support and love. I would also like to give a huge thanks to Liam McKervey for having the patience of a saint during the years of my PhD. Thank you for listening, reading and talking things through with me, and for flying out to Paraguay to experience the Chaco together.
Last but not least, a special thanks goes to Rodney Harrison for the many thought-provoking conversations and discussions, and for reading over and commenting on multiple drafts of this monograph. Thank you for not only being an inspiration but above all a wonderful friend.
