ANN ARBOR, MI — Cornell University Professor Lori Khatchadourian will deliver a lecture titled “Heritage Forensics: Culture on the Front Lines of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict” on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Room 555 of Weiser Hall at the University of Michigan.

The lecture will explore the use of satellite imagery and forensic research to document and monitor threats to Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly following Azerbaijan’s takeover of the region in 2023 and the subsequent displacement of its Armenian population.

Drawing on her newly published, co-authored book, Heritage Forensics: Culture on the Front Lines of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict (Cornell University Press, 2026), Khatchadourian will introduce the concept of “heritage forensics,” a framework for investigating the destruction, alteration, and misuse of cultural heritage in situations involving armed conflict, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

The presentation will examine how cultural heritage sites became entangled in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict during the period between 1994 and 2020, and how emerging technologies are being used to monitor hundreds of Armenian historical and religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh following the events of 2023.

A central focus of the lecture will be the role of satellite-based monitoring as a form of “counter-forensics,” using surveillance technologies originally developed for military purposes to document the actions of states and provide independent evidence of potential cultural heritage violations.

Khatchadourian will also consider whether heritage forensics can move beyond documenting destruction after it occurs to help prevent the erasure of cultural heritage, promote accountability, and contribute to truth and reconciliation efforts in conflict-affected regions.

About the Speaker

Lori Khatchadourian is Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology at Cornell University, where she also serves as Director of the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies. She is co-founder and co-director of Caucasus Heritage Watch, an initiative dedicated to monitoring and documenting cultural heritage in the South Caucasus through satellite imagery and other research methods.

Her scholarship encompasses archaeology, social anthropology, and heritage studies, with particular emphasis on Armenia, the South Caucasus, and neighboring regions. Her current research explores the archaeology of modernity, including genocide, deindustrialization, and the relationship between cultural heritage and warfare.

In addition to her 2026 co-authored volume Heritage Forensics , Khatchadourian is the author of Imperial Matter: Ancient Persia and the Archaeology of Empires (University of California Press, 2016). She is also co-editor of Rethinking Empire: Materiality, Metaphysics, and Imperial Politics (2026) and Fitful Histories and Unruly Publics: The Archaeology of Eurasia (2017).

The event will also be accessible online via Zoom at: https://umich.zoom.us/j/99311308952