Cultural heritage is an important part of our socio-cultural identity and is deeply intertwined with the community we belong to. This is evident in current debates on topics such as Black Lives Matter, migration, and the history of slavery. Just as identity is linked to language, heritage reflects our cultural identity. Understanding this complex interconnection requires a broad perspective – across borders, through space and time. From a European and global perspective, the humanities shed light on how heritage gains meaning, changes and deepens our understanding of society.
By strengthening interdisciplinary and international research within the theme of Cultural Heritage & Identity, insight is gained into the meaning of heritage and its role in social and political processes, including conflicts and global identity formation.
Midterm review 2025–2026
Within the framework of the Sectorplan theme ‘Cultural Heritage and Identity’, an extensive range of activities, publications, projects, and plans has been realised in recent years, covering research, education, and valorisation. In most cases, these initiatives are discipline-transcending and interfaculty and interuniversity in nature, and they have given a significant boost to integration within the SSH domain. They primarily address the role of heritage in major societal challenges, ranging from climate adaptation to digitalisation and migration.
Examples include an EU-funded doctoral network on heritage and spatial planning (with VU and TUD as coordinators), an NWA-funded project on Traumascapes (focusing on heritage sites burdened with collective trauma; involving UL, UU, UvA, RUG, EUR, UM, TiU, and VU), new research hubs such as the Memory and Heritage Network (UU) and the Erfgoedkoepel (RU), as well as new degree programmes and specialisations, including the master’s specialisations Heritage Policy (RU) and Restitution (UvA), and the minor Heritage and Space (Reinwardt Academy and VU).
National-level collaboration is coordinated by the Network for Cultural Heritage & Identity, which organises an annual Sectorplan day (UL, UU, UvA, RUG, EUR, RU, UM, TiU, VU). An important milestone is the upcoming national Sectorplan day on 28 May (VU), where the various partners will reflect on the midterm review and jointly develop a strategy for the second phase of the Sectorplan. The newly published National Agenda for Heritage Research in Acceleration serves as a key reference point for this process.