Subject area
Heritage Constructions and Canon Formations in Art, Literature and Architecture
Cultural heritage is not a constant essential property, but rather a social construction subject to continuous change. The question of what should qualify as cultural heritage has been negotiated anew again and again throughout history, and has often sparked altercations in academia and society. Even today, cultural heritage — especially in the context of post-colonial discussions and claims — remains a highly topical and contested subject.
Definitions of heritage go hand in hand with processes of cultural canon building, which are often determined not by opinions drawn from a broad societal base, but frequently also through authoritarian orders that can remain operative over centuries. This subject area focuses on heritage constructions and canon formations in art, literature, music and architecture. It pays particular attention to the underlying processes of negotiation, in which academia, society and politics all play a part.
Research topics
BELLUM ET ARTES. Cooperation and exhibition projec
Together with twelve partners from seven countries, the research and exhibition project examines and presents the effects of the Thirty Years' War on the arts, artists and their patrons in Central Europe.
Big Utopia from a Regional Perspective
How can socialist-era urban experiences be interpreted beyond the narrative of the »big socialist urban project«? This research project examines the social history of modernist architecture in Eastern Europe and investigates how its meanings and perceptions have evolved over time, using local histories as a lens.
Canon Constructions
Canons of literature and art created in 19th- and 20th-century Eastern Europe fulfill a complementary double function of aesthetical-cultural representation and community-anchored identification. What mechanisms determine the construction of canons, and how can we describe this canon’s initial and continuing effects?
Heritage without Inheritors
The eastern half of Europe is a clearer example than almost any other part of the world that cultural goods that are at first pushed aside as the relics of an unwelcome past can with time be adopted as heritage. The case studies examine these processes, drawing a line from the 19th century to the present.
Re-thinking Socialist Architectural Legacy
The Soviet Union’s most ambitious urban and social experiments included the construction of new »socialist cities«. When state socialism came to an end, this legacy underwent profound transformations. This study throws its spotlight on its changing perception in the context of local identities and the national narrative.
Reevaluation and Reconstruction
Late modernist mass housing estates were a milestone of Ukrainian urban development. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, heavy shelling of residential areas by the Russian army has caused numerous casualties and the destruction of Ukraine’s architectural heritage.
Researching Transnational Cultural History, 1300-1570
This project sets out to explore Eastern Europe’s art history in the pre-modern age. Drawing on selected objects, it aims to bring to light the area’s shared cultural history and its complex development. The focus is on the large expanse of land between the Baltic, the Black Sea and southeast Europe from 1300 to 1570, when both cultural cornerstones and tensions developed that would be decisive for the region’s modern history.
Stories of Ukraine’s Lost Homes
The project documents the transformation of occupied Ukrainian territories since 2014. Through an online Museum of Lost Homes, it makes visible the effects of Russian state-building, the appropriation of “ownerless” property, and the everyday experiences of displacement.
The Post-war Transformation of Historic City Centres
The post-war reconstruction of historic city centres in the former GDR and Western and Northern Territories in Poland resulted in the development of various reconstruction models. The project traces the variety of strategies – from modernisation and functionality to a strong emphasis on identity and history.