Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CHEurope (Critical Heritage Studies and the Future of Europe_Towards an integrated, interdisciplinary and transnational training model in cultural heritage research and management)

Teaser

CHEurope focuses on developing a new integrated theoretical and methodological framework to enhance the academic and professional training and open future job opportunities in cultural heritage preservation, management and promotion. With an overall duration of 4 years...

Summary

CHEurope focuses on developing a new integrated theoretical and methodological framework to enhance the academic and professional training and open future job opportunities in cultural heritage preservation, management and promotion. With an overall duration of 4 years (November 2016 to October 2020), the project supports the research and training of 15 Early Stage Researchers from Europe and other parts of the world.

Heritage has commonly been perceived through its contingent relationship to other areas, preventing it to be considered as a ‘legitimate’ scientific discipline. Moreover, research and practice in this field are still too often seen as separate dimensions. Thus, there is an increasing need to address these diverging trends in the expanding heritage industry with a critical approach that situates cultural heritage in its social, economic and political frameworks, as well as in professional practice.

Bringing together a network of key European academic and non-academic organisations from 7 European countries, the project explores the processes by which heritage is ‘assembled’ through practice-based research in partner institutions that connect students to their future job markets and publics. Our aim is to inform more conventional aspects of cultural heritage designation, care and management with a strong focus on present and future consumers. We propose an advanced learning strategy based on the emerging field of Critical Heritage Studies, which combines theoretical and instrumental knowledge at a transnational and interdisciplinary level, in a series of research seminars, summer schools and secondments. The program is based on themes where cultural heritage is undergoing profound change, such as Heritage Futures, Curating the City, Digital Heritage, Heritage and Wellbeing and Management and Citizen Participation. In so doing, this research will have a direct impact on future heritage policies and be linked explicitly to new modes of training. These will enable future practitioners to facilitate a more democratic and informed dialogue between and across various heritage industries and their users, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in this field.

Work performed

Two years after its inception, the CHEurope project is running according to the initial planning and expectations. A first activity period (November 2016 – April 2017) has been dedicated mainly to the fine-tuning of the administrative and management questions, the planning of the activities and the recruitment procedure of the 15 ESRs.

1. Research & Training activities (WPs 1-5)

After the project’s kick-off meeting, held end of June 2017 in Gothenburg, the beneficiary organisations have organised various ‘Joint Research Seminars’ and a ‘Summer School’, representing the backbone of CHEurope’s training program. It is during these events that the fellow researchers present the progress of their research projects which are discussed and peer-reviewed. They benefit also from theoretical courses, lectures, discussion panels, workshops and hands-on field and desk activities These activities have taken place as follows:

- Joint Research Seminar 1. This first CHEurope training event has taken place in London in October 2017. It was dedicated to the theme “What is Critical Heritage Studies”.
- Joint Research Seminar 2 was held in Amsterdam in January 2018. It focused on the theme “Doing Critical Heritage Studies: Issues, Methodologies, Challenges”.
- Joint Research Seminar 3 was organised from in April 2018 in Hasselt and Genk. Its main theme was ‘Curating public debates on urban heritage futures’.

The first project’s Summer School was held in Santiago de Compostela, end June 2018. It consisted of 9 days of intensive workshops, discussions with invited lectures, writing activities and visits. The programme of the summer school was divided into two main topics: 1) academic writing and 2) ethnographic research methods.

Moreover, the 15 ESRs have also started their secondments in a number of public or private organisations dealing with the study and management of cultural heritage. Their role consists mainly in diversifying the research, training and networking activities, hosting the ESRs and offering them on the job training and fieldwork with the aim to expose them to a wide range of research and professional experiences.

2. Management and administration (WP6)

The project is managed by the Gothenburg University (PL), backed by a Supervisory Board (SB), composed of the main supervisors at the beneficiary organizations. The SB is responsible for the overall scientific and technical supervision of the project.
Another driving force in the project is represented by the Researchers’ Council (RC). This consultative body consists of all 15 ESRs and allows exchange and discussion about technical and management issues.
For the recruitment of the ESRs, a general announcement has been published on the beneficiaries’ websites, as well as on Euraxess. Out of the 276 applications received, the 15 positions have been covered by qualified, serious and motivated researchers, with very diverse origins and profiles (Europe, the Middle East and Latin America).

3. Dissemination and communication (WP7)

The main tool for the project’s communication is a dedicated website (www.cheurope-project.eu). Likewise, the project benefits from an adequate visibility on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
Included as one of CHEurope’s anticipated outcomes, an exhibition concept has been launched as a result of JRS3 in Hasselt, and as a ‘situated action’ during the Participatory Design Conference held in Hasselt in August 2018. This action is designed as an iterative process and a collaborative project allowing all the ESRs to actively contribute to its development until April 2020 when it will be presented as the final travelling exhibition of the project.
During the first CHEurope\'s Summer School, a video has been produced and streamed on the project\'s website and social media.

Final results

Although it is too early to anticipate results and impacts in socio-economic and societal terms, the project opens already very promising perspectives both in training and research terms, and represents an innovative methodological model likely to be transferred in further cooperation ventures.

From a training perspective, CHEurope draws its relevance from the interdisciplinary and intersectoral network of diverse heritage institutions around Europe, each with its own role and expertise. Wedded to this is a progressive interdisciplinary joint training program that combines elements from all five WPs and creates a package of interdisciplinary skills, which enables each PhD student to position him/herself towards the job market in various sectors from urban planning to management and public engagement.

The example offered by CHEurope is also likely to achieve a durable impact on the participating organizations. The innovative joint research program will certainly contribute in shaping a novel doctoral/early-stage research training model which represents a relevant tribute to European innovation capacity in sciences and culture.

From a research perspective, the 15 ESRs are all implementing cutting-edge and original PhD projects which will bring a significant contribution to the emergent field of Critical Heritage Studies, and beyond, to the study and management of cultural heritage in general.

Website & more info

More info: http://cheurope-project.eu/.