Heritage and Religion

This is a unique interdisciplinary track at the interface of religion, identity, history, politics, and heritage studies. You are challenged to develop your own position and voice to debates. And during your placement, you will be able to apply your critical and analytical skills to the real dilemmas and challenges facing the heritage sector nowadays.

How can museums deal with collections from colonial pasts? What is the significance of religious heritage in a secular society? And how is heritage be used by minorities to protect their traditions?

Heritage has become a significance topic in today’s political and cultural debates. Across Europe, many religious buildings are losing their original function. Governments and the EU are investing millions in plans for conservation and adaptive re-use. Meanwhile, tourism and pilgrimage to religious objects, sites, and festivals are booming - raising urgent questions about sustainability and cultural impact of heritage.

At the same time, migration and secularization reshape religious identities of communities, and their relationship to the past. War, displacement, demographic change, and climate crisis put both material and immaterial heritage at risk. Preservation is urgent, yet resources are limited and interests often clash. How can these tensions be navigated?