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 maaker@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).
To learn more, please download the full call for papers. https://www.staff.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/ul2staff/mededelingen/unaeuropa-callforpapers-making-and-remaking-heritage-in-global-context-.pdf
Convenors: Erik de Maaker (Leiden University), Keletso Setlhabi (University of Botswana), Noel Salazar (University of
Respatrimoni 