Arqus launches a new webinar series – “Critical heritage studies at Arqus: concepts, approaches and findings”

Organised by the European Identity & Heritage Arqus Living Lab, this webinar series will be held on YouTube and is open to all students, PhD candidates and academics from Arqus universities. The series will also engage with stakeholders in the field, providing a platform for exchange and discussion.

The notion of Europe and the European project are closely linked to the creation, preservation and debate surrounding its cultural heritage. Since the 19th century, heritage has played a pivotal role in shaping European nations, becoming crucial to the foundation of the European integration project after the Second World War.

Today, heritage studies bring together a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, archival science, library science, and museum studies, among others. This multidisciplinary approach to research and teaching has resulted in a wide variety of heritage definitions.

Nevertheless, the concept of cultural heritage can’t be defined solely by material objects such as paintings; it extends beyond the tangible, encompassing oral traditions, artistic expressions, ceremonial practices, cultural landscapes, and natural sites. All of which shape collective memory and identity, and contribute to the continuous construction of Europe.

However, the general understanding of heritage has become more complicated in recent decades due to post-colonial debates, political transitions, and social transformation, as well as the rise of populist nationalism across Europe and the implications of the digital revolution and climate change.

To address this issue, Arqus has launched the “Critical heritage studies at Arqus: concepts, approaches and findings” series of webinars reflecting on cultural heritage from a variety of perspectives to create a starting point for the mapping and further development of Arqus’s contribution to critical heritage studies. 

1st webinar on 13 November at 18:00 CET on YouTube

The first webinar, “Dissonant heritage: Interpreting Baltic modernism in Lithuania”, Marija Drėmaitė (Vilnius University) will explore the evolving legacy of post-war architectural modernism in Lithuania, focusing on the transformation of Soviet-era buildings and urban landscapes since the country’s 1990 declaration of independence.

Detailed information on upcoming webinars will follow soon!