Marie Elisabeth Berg Christensen

Marie Elisabeth Berg Christensen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, with joint affiliations at the National Museum of Denmark and the Nordic Center for Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict (CHAC). Her work examines the securitization of cultural heritage, focusing on museums' evolving roles in defense and security frameworks during armed conflicts.

Education:

• MA in Prehistoric Archeology with elective in Curating and Cultural Heritage (2013, University of Copenhagen)
• MSc in Conservation and Restoration (2018, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation)

Dr. Christensen's research analyzes how transnational threats like looting and illicit trafficking reshape museum policies, institutional identities, and resource allocation. She employs case studies from conflict zones (e.g., Jerash and Umm el-Jimal in Jordan) to investigate practical implementation of security measures while advocating for sustainable heritage preservation through international policy development.

Her publications reveal a clear trajectory from material conservation science (2019 canvas tension studies) toward geopolitical heritage security frameworks (2022-2023), highlighting interdisciplinary convergence between museum studies, security policy, and crisis management in response to cultural property crimes.

Collaborating extensively with CHAC, she bridges cultural heritage institutions and security agencies to develop innovative protection strategies for heritage in volatile contexts.