European Science Foundation

Heritage (Ideology, Politics, Culture)

Slovenian Academy of Sciences

20-22 February 2006

Call for Papers

Deadline: 8 December 2005

The preservation and interpretation of artistic monuments was a central
force behind the establishment of art history in numerous European
countries. It played a key role in the development of national and cultural
identities and in the formation of collective memories, and still
constitutes an important part of EU cultural strategy.

However,'heritage' has a range of distinct connotations that reflect the
differences in the traditions and historical experiences of individual
European nations during the past century. In Eastern Europe, in the
aftermath of World War II, there prevailed a political hostility to those
classes of society deemed to have been responsible for the construction of
churches, castles and palaces. Inevitably, this found expression in the
attitude toward the mentioned monuments themselves. In the most radical
cases, some of the monuments were neglected through a lack of care and
protection, or even physically removed. The protection of monuments in these
countries was thus limited only to those works supposed to point out the
high qualifications of the experts involved and the tolerance toward culture
expressed by the new socialist order. Since 1989 such countries have been
faced with the further challenges of dealing with the architectural and
artistic legacy of a socialist 'heritage' they would prefer to forget.

Parallel debates have taken place in Western European states over the
meaning of heritage - and over what should and should not be preserved. The
destruction caused by the second World War also had considerable influence
on the doctrine of conservation. Alois Riegl's principle of 'conservation
rather than restoration' gave way to a concern with the reconstruction of
monuments. Thus the rebuilt historical centre of Warsaw, the reconstruction
of Dresden's Marienkirche or of the castle in the middle of Berlin half a
century after the war can only be understood as attempts to reconstruct a
lost historical memory.

These considerations give rise to a number of important questions:
What is the meaning of 'heritage' in different European states?
How has the meaning of 'heritage' impacted on practices of
conservation and restoration?
What roles does 'heritage' continue to play in ongoing debates
about cultural identity and politics?
How does the issue of 'heritage' relate to the sphere of memory
(both individual and collective)?
* In what ways have specific states defined and redefined their
heritage over the past 100 years?

Speakers are requested to submit a 200-word proposal for a 30-minute talk by
December 8th 2005 to Marta Filipova (marta.filipovaeca.ac.uk). The working
language will be English, but participants may also present in French or
German, provided that an English-language version of their presentation is
available in advance of the workshop. This workshop is the fourth of the
Discourses of the Visible research network funded by the European Science
Foundation. The ESF will pay for speakers' return travel to Ljubljana,
accommodation and subsistence during the duration of the workshop.

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Dr. Matthew Rampley
Director, Graduate Research School
Edinburgh College of Art
Lauriston Place
Edinburgh
EH39DF
T: +44 (0)1312216193