Summer Programme in Asian Studies

'Heritage Conserved and Contested: Asian and European Perspectives' is the title of the first Summer Programme in Asian Studies to be held at the International Institute for Asian Studies in the Netherlands in June 2011. This Summer Programme in Asian Studies at IIAS in Leiden, Netherlands aims to shed light on the various definitions, interests, and practices associated with the question of cultural heritage in Asia and Europe. The programme aims at Master’s and doctoral students incorporating heritage issues in their work. Research specialists from various academic backgrounds (social anthropology, history, archaeology, conservation studies including cultural resource management) will combine their expertise to provide participants with an intensive - yet interactive - experience. The theme of cultural heritage touches upon a wide array of knowledge forms and traditions (including those of local actors) while it also links theoretical frameworks with applied and policy-relevant knowledge and action. The programme will be run by two world-renown scholars in the fields of cultural heritage theory and cultural Asian history, respectively: Prof. Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University) and Prof. Nira Wickramasinghe (Leiden University). Registration closes on 15 January 2011.