Exploring Uncomfortable Heritage: Reflections from the CBSS Spring School 2024
On 10-15 March 2024, emerging researchers from around the globe gathered at the former manor in Kulice, near Szczecin, Poland, for the CBSS Spring School 2024. Hosted by the University of Szczecin’s International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, this year's event delved into the theme of 'uncomfortable heritage' and its role in shaping collective memory.
The Spring School provided a platform for participants to explore how political and social changes can refract or contest monuments and memory. Through workshops, reading seminars, and an insightful excursion, attendees engaged in thought-provoking discussions surrounding heritage that challenges prevailing narratives and evokes discomfort.
Central to the discussions was the concept of uncomfortable heritage, encompassing monuments, objects, and sites whose significance has become uncertain and contested amidst political upheavals and cultural transformations. Case studies spanned a wide spectrum, from Soviet architecture to Holocaust memorial sites, and from a German military cemetery in Finland to social housing in Madrid.
14 participating researchers hailed from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine, as well as Australia, and the United States, bringing diverse perspectives to the table. Over five days, they explored objects, places, practices, narratives, legal and institutional frameworks, and communities that consider processes of violence, threat, ignorance, or destruction as integral to identity-building, empowerment, and re-interpretation, with a particular focus on the Baltic Sea Region.
The city of Szczecin itself provided a rich backdrop for analysis, with participants examining Jewish and Soviet heritage in the context of contemporary multidirectional memory. Guided by established scholars from organising universities in Poland, Germany, and Estonia, graduate students presented their projects and grappled with the complexities of representing uncomfortable heritage.
The interdisciplinary nature of the discussions fostered a vibrant exchange of ideas, spanning various academic fields and areas of study. Through passionate dialogue, attendees navigated the nuances of uncomfortable heritage, forging connections and alliances to ensure that these challenging histories are not relegated to oblivion.
The CBSS Spring School 2024 not only provided a space for intellectual exploration but also facilitated networking opportunities among researchers committed to uncovering uncomfortable heritage. As participants departed, they carried with them newfound insights and a renewed commitment to preserving and honouring the complexities of our shared past.
