Critical Heritages of Europe
About the Book Series
The Critical Heritages of Europe series seeks to explore the cultural and social politics of the European past in the present. Bridging theoretical and empirical research, the series accommodates broad understandings of Europe – a shifting and historically mutable entity, made both of internal tensions and exogenous encounters, re-imaginings and influences. ‘Heritage’ too is taken as an expansive paradigm, made in myriad practices where the past is valorised for the present, from folk traditions to museums and memorials, the management of historic sites and traditions, and everyday matters such as education, political discourse, home life, food consumption and people’s relations with place.
Books in the series engage with European heritages in critical times – in all senses – when Europe and mobilizations of its heritages and memories are called upon to solve problems, and when contests over the meanings of the past are part of wider social and political relations and tensions. Heritage practices are variously informed by civil and uncivil visions, the politics of difference and co-presence, difficult pasts, relations with the ‘outside’, borders, margins, and migrations. Critical questions include:
- What is the European past made to do in the present and for the future?
- What counts as European heritage? To whom, and why?
- How and why do relationships with, and attitudes to, the past inform identity positions, social orders and moral values in, or in relation to, Europe?
- When and where in the (wider) world do European heritages configure identities?
- What are the contemporary meanings and effects of global encounters, mobilities and trajectories in which Europe has played roles?
- What theoretical and critical perspectives can be articulated to contribute new understandings of European heritages? How might these be made relevant for current and future heritage practice?
- What are the relations between theory, criticality, ethics and heritage practice in the European dimension?
Revoicing Intangible Cultural Heritage: Perspectives from the Margins of Europe
1st Edition
Edited
By Laura Hodsdon, Valts Ernštreits, Kadri Koreinik, Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar
June 13, 2025
Revoicing Intangible Cultural Heritage draws upon an original, wide-ranging dataset to show that the dynamics and ethics of participation in European national minority cultures’ intangible cultural heritage (ICH) are more nuanced than has previously been articulated. Arguing for an approach to ...
Viking Heritage and History in Europe: Practices and Re-creations
1st Edition
Edited
By Sara Ellis Nilsson, Stefan Nyzell
March 06, 2024
Viking Heritage and History in Europe presents new research and perspectives on the use of the Vikings in public history, especially in relation to museums, re-creation, and re-enactment in a European context. Taking a critical heritage approach, the volume provides new insights into the ...
Decolonizing Colonial Heritage: New Agendas, Actors and Practices in and beyond Europe
1st Edition
Edited
By Britta Timm Knudsen, John Oldfield, Elizabeth Buettner, Elvan Zabunyan
May 31, 2023
Decolonizing Colonial Heritage explores how different agents practice the decolonization of European colonial heritage at European and extra-European locations. Assessing the impact of these practices, the book also explores what a new vision of Europe in the postcolonial present could look like. ...
Islam and Heritage in Europe: Pasts, Presents and Future Possibilities
1st Edition
Edited
By Katarzyna Puzon, Sharon Macdonald, Mirjam Shatanawi
January 09, 2023
Islam and Heritage in Europe provides a critical investigation of the role of Islam in Europe’s heritage. Focusing on Islam, heritage and Europe, it seeks to productively trouble all of these terms and throw new light on the relationships between them in various urban, national and transnational ...
Diversity of Belonging in Europe: Public Spaces, Contested Places, Cultural Encounters
1st Edition
Edited
By Susannah Eckersley, Claske Vos
December 27, 2022
Diversity of Belonging in Europe analyzes conflicting notions of identity and belonging in contemporary Europe. Addressing the creation, negotiation, and (re) use of diverse spaces and places of belonging, the book examines their fascinating complexities in the context of a changing Europe. Taking ...