The relevance of heritage, in any societal context, depends on the
degree to which it has a bearing on current societal issues. Heritage,
both tangible and intangible, derives from the past, but is remembered,
kept, and perhaps curated, for the relevance
it has in the present. Consequently, there is always an equation
between what is acknowledged as heritage, and the pressing global
challenges of the time. This may involve issues as diverse as climate
change, war (or the threat of it), or the insecurities
and opportunities created by a growing dependence on capitalist
markets.
This graduate workshop at Anthropology Southern Africa (AsnA)
Annual Conference 2024 in Johannesburg will focus on the diverse ways in
which heritage comes into being, or loses its relevance,
and how that can provide insights into the kind of challenges which
people in given societal contexts face.
The workshop is tentatively
scheduled for 8-9 November 2024 and is an initiative of Una Europa’s
Self-Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage. Una
Europa is an alliance of 11 leading European research universities —
including Leiden University — which are particularly strong in the
fields of Social Sciences and Humanities.
We invite presentations from
graduate students who in their research engage with
these themes, exploring what heritage making or unmaking can
accomplish, or how it can fail. Our aim is to highlight and discuss new,
hitherto ignored approaches to heritage. Graduate students are invited to
submit a 300-word abstract to
maa...@fsw.leidenuniv.nl by 21 June 2024. Participants will be notified three weeks after the deadline for the graduate workshop whether their paper has been accepted. Accepted participants need to submit their full paper by 1 October 2024, five weeks prior to the workshop.
We can provide partial grants for travel and conference
registration to a small number of participants form Souther Africa. The
amount provided will depend on the distance to be travelled. Potential
participants should indicate if they require financial
support when submitting an abstract, and how much they may require.
Please provide a breakdown of the estimated costs, indicating which part
can be covered from other sources (all grants awarded will be partial).
Also, please indicate why you want to participate
in the graduate workshop.
Please note that this workshop will take place in English and will be held in-person (with no online option).
Convenors: Erik de Maaker (Leiden University), Keletso Setlhabi (University of Botswana), Noel Salazar (University of Leuven), Rebecca Sauer (University of Zuric)