Meier:Instabile Konstruktionen

Those who speak of heritage in connection with identity promise themselves and others continuity and stability. However, this promise only holds as long as people engage with the narratives associated with it. As these narratives are increasingly questioned and the concept of identity has become a contested category in the political sphere, long-held and familiar constructions also become unstable. This is particularly evident in moments of conflict, intrusive claims, and loss. The title "Instable Constructions" simultaneously refers to the two core areas of the college: on one hand, architecture and heritage preservation, where the term construction relates to physical manifestations expected to have a certain durability and permanence, and on the other hand, cultural and social sciences, where construction refers to the social creation of symbolic worlds of meaning. Thus, the focus shifts to the claim of understanding the material environment in relation to its social construction. The authors of the contributions gathered here explore these dimensions of identity and cultural heritage. The essays bridge the gap between material manifestations, social identity configurations, and heritage narratives, illustrating how closely intertwined these aspects are.