2nd International Workshop about Heritage (8-10 May 2011, Heidelberg University, Germany)

Organized by Dr. Michael Falser, Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context", (Chair of Global Art History, Prof. Monica Juneja), Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg University

Venue: Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies (212), admission free

General description:

The colonial “civilizing mission” drew upon a certain reservoir of ideological topoi: prominent among these was the stereotype of a colonised culture marked by political crises or cultural decadence and lacking in the competence to conserve its heritage from a falling into decay. In Asia the European mission to civilize addressed a situation that was different both from that within modern Europe where colonized states were held to have attained a level of cultural achievements comparable to those of the colonising power, as well as from the context of African states, where the ‘state of primitivism’ ascribed to the colonies was accompanied by the imposition of cultural hegemony by the colonizer. In regions of Asia, on the other hand European powers were confronted with highly advanced civilizations possessing a long history of cultural accomplishments. This workshop intend to analyze different forms of "civilizing missions", with special focus on Asia, Indochina, Cambodia and the especially the temples of Angkor.

For more information (description, programme, list of speakers): http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research/d-historicities-heritage/d12/angkor-workshops/2011.html

Contact: Dr. Michael S. Falser, Research Fellow (falser@asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de)