Spring School: Living Heritage, Performance, and Placemaking.

We welcome applications (due January 15) for an International Spring School led by the research project Heritage as Placemaking: The Politics of Solidarity and Erasure in South Asia (HaP). This year, the theme of the HaP Spring School is Living Heritage, Performance, and Placemaking, and it will take place in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, from March 20–25, 2024. Heritage as Placemaking is a trans-regional research project that investigates the role of placemaking in shaping, narrating, contesting, and erasing cultural heritage in South Asia. The project is led by four institutions in Europe and South Asia: Heidelberg University (Germany), SOAS University of London (UK), Social Science Baha (Nepal), and South Asian University (India).

About the HaP Spring School:
The research project Heritage as Placemaking: The Politics of Solidarity and Erasure in South Asia is offering an International Spring School in the Kathmandu Valley on performance, living heritage, and placemaking. As part of this 6-day, intensive program, participants will be provided with the theoretical and methodological tools to understand heritage as performance through experiential learning. Students will have the opportunity to visit sites, participate in daily as well as special religious rituals, observe ritual and folk dances, and interact with the bearers of traditional knowledge from various communities, researchers and policymakers. This year, the Spring School is partnering with Echoes in the Valley Festival of Folk Music, offering a unique opportunity to consider the intersections of living heritage, placemaking, and folk music.

Living heritage refers to the knowledge, practices and expressions that are handed down from generation to generation in communities across the world. But what makes heritage ‘living’, and what are the challenges and contradictions that communities face in trying to maintain heritage’s living dynamics? During the HaP Spring School, we use performance theory as a lens through which to explore heritage-making and the elements that keep heritage ‘alive’. Looking at heritage as performance means regarding heritage as a process —produced, reproduced, invented, re-invented—and exploring the messy paths of cross- pollination from the streets to the stage.

The setting for examining these questions is Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. Such a location is ideal for exploring dimensions of placemaking in performance and living heritage. The urban design of the valley is intricately woven into the social and cultural lives of its denizens. For example, any traditional settlement maintains designated areas of worship and performance (e.g. a raised platform, called dabu or dabali) that are vital for living traditions to flourish. During our Spring School, case studies such as masked dances and charya dance will be highlighted to investigate how performances are embedded in place, which we will explore not only through attending and observing performances but also by experiencing rituals in a guided context. Additionally, we will consider heritage performances from outside the Kathmandu Valley. Over the course of six days, participants will have the chance to explore events in Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, where two days of the Spring School will be located within the Echos in the Valley Festival and will benefit from collaborative activities in a community setting.

Application:
To apply, please submit a CV in English along with a motivation letter (in a single file with the applicant’s family name as the file name) to Emily Hyatt (emily.hyatthcts.uni-heidelberg.de) no later than January 15, with the email subject line ‘Application for HaP Spring School 2024’.

The Spring School is designed for PhD and graduate students as well as junior experts in the fields of heritage studies, performance studies, Himalayan studies, art history, geography, museum studies, and related areas. Applications from all over the world are welcome, and students and young professionals from underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Places in the Spring School are limited, and accepted students must commit to full participation (attending all 6 days and producing a final reflective output). In addition to its rich didactic programme, the Spring School provides admission for all relevant performances/cultural events, food/drink, and accommodation for the duration of the Spring School (for students who are attending from out of town). Unfortunately, we are unable to cover travel to/from the Kathmandu Valley. The Spring School offers a certificate of participation to students who complete the programme but cannot provide transferable academic credits.

The International Spring School ‘Living heritage, performance and placemaking’ is organized by Dr Monica Mottin (Heidelberg University), Dr Monalisa Maharjan (Social Science Baha) and Binita Magaiya (Social Science Baha). It is part of the trans-regional research project Heritage as Placemaking: The Politics of Solidarity and Erasure in South Asia, a collaboration between Social Science Baha (Nepal), SOAS University of London (UK), South Asian University (India) and Heidelberg University (Germany). The HaP International Spring School is funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Sweden.

For more information, please visit the Spring School's website: https://heritageasplacemaking.com/spring-school-2024