Workshop: Heritage Studies and Socialism: Transnational Perspectives on Heritage in Eastern and Central Europe

23. - 25. November 2016
Venue: GCSC, Alter Steinbacher Weg 38, 35392 Giessen

Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – Institute of the Leibniz Association, Marburg
International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC), Justus Liebig University Giessen
Imre Kertész Kolleg, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Supported by Leibniz Research Alliance “Historical Authenticity”

In the last decade, heritage studies have emerged as a field of cross-disciplinary research covering the topics including the built environment, museums and collections, urban planning, memory, and tourism. This workshop brings together both early career researchers and established researchers for a discussion about the concept of heritage in relation to the Eastern and Central European region. In light of the different traditions in heritage policies and property rights, what notion of heritage do we employ for the study of heritage in socialist and post-socialist societies? Using this question as a point of departure, the presentations seek to critically engage with the field of heritage studies and reflect on core concepts such as authenticity and originality. We discuss the advantages and limitations of these approaches when applied to the (post-) socialist context, while also bringing together alternative approaches from the examples presented during the workshop.