GURU Theme: Identities, Culture and Heritage

Our research looks at socially constructed, ever-changing processual entities. They are subject to broader social, cultural, political, and economic forces. 

We maintain a rich interest in the identities, cultures, and heritage of countries and continents. We also look at many agents including:

• government actors
• growth coalitions
• the local entrepreneurial state
• urban elites
• NGOS
• local activists
• conservationists
• conservation practitioners
• urban planners
• informal housing networks and co-operatives
• urban designers 
• architects 

We explore many conceptual and empirical issues in the identities, culture, and heritage, including:

• historical imaginaries
• collective memory and nostalgia
• cultures of heritage
• heritage management
• urban and architectural conservation
• urban planning and landscape-based conservation and self-made 
• informal practices

Theme lead: Dr. Loes Veldpaus