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78103-01 - Proseminar: Whose Heritage? Intangible Culture in a Global World (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Olena Sobolieva (olena.sobolieva@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course poses the seemingly simple question of "Whose heritage?" to think about how “heritage” is created, claimed, and contested in a globalized world. Rather than treating traditions or memories as fixed or stable entities, we explore who defines them, who speaks on their behalf, what effects such claims have and how they are shaped by power, inequality, and histories of violence. Approaching heritage from an anthropological perspective, the course understands heritage as a set of social relations, moral claims, and everyday practices rather than merely as a field of cultural policy or management. Throughout the semester, we will examine key discussions in heritage studies and the anthropology of heritage: the global frameworks of heritage, the authorized narratives that shape what counts as “heritage,” and the tension between institutionalized heritage and the spontaneous, everyday ways people share practices, objects, and stories. Building on foundational anthropological work (for example, Michael Herzfeld’s analyses of heritage, bureaucracy, and social intimacy), we will trace how different actors – states, experts, communities, families, and individuals – mobilize heritage in negotiations over identity and belonging. Particular attention will be paid to the consumption of heritage in tourism and the cultural industry, as well as to the ways in which ‘authentic’ culture is packaged and commercialised. A central part of the course frames heritage institutions and media as ethnographic sites. Teaching will combine lectures, seminars, film screenings and interactive exercises, including roleplay and small ethnographic exercises. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to reflect on their own roles as researchers, visitors, and participants in the heritage-making process. By the end of the course, they will be familiar with key tools for reading cultural heritage practices and representations in both academic and everyday contexts. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 25 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Forschungsfelder der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree subject: Eastern European Cultures) Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |