LINCS stands for Languages and INterCultural Studies and our core
purpose is to create multilingual,
multicultural, global citizens. To achieve this, the “INCS” in LINCS also specialises in Cultural Studies such as living
cultural heritage, intercultural dialogue, migrant identities and intercultural
communication.
Our Cultural Studies section manages the cultural studies courses and programmes we deliver. Courses include Global Heritage, Cross-Cultural perspectives on Society, Intercultural perspectives on Sustainable Development, as well as the Global Courses (taught in all HWU campuses) Intercultural Issues in Business and Management (Undergraduate – also offered as part of Graduate Apprenticeship programmes), and Intercultural Communication in the Workplace (Postgraduate). It also manages our MSc Cultural Heritages programme family, which includes our MSc in Cultural Heritage Management with Tourism. Cultural Studies staff and students are also members of our Intercultural Research Centre (IRC).
People
Staff
Katerina Strani is
the Head of the Cultural Studies section. She has a background in Languages and
Political Theory and her PhD thesis (2011) focused on communicative rationality
in the public sphere. Her research is interdisciplinary, and she is interested
in how multilingualism and multiculturalism shape contemporary society and
politics at all levels. Following an EU-funded project on hate speech and
racism (RADAR),
Katerina has developed a keen research interest in race relations and the
language of racism. She has published
papers on these topics, as well as intercultural dialogue from the
perspective of belonging and heritage, discourses of Europeanness and hate
communication. She has led EU-funded projects in intercultural training for
educators, mobile tools for refugees and newly-arrived migrants as well as for
learning indigenous languages, and has participated in a GRCF-funded project on
digital tools for Rohingya refugees in SE Asia.
Katerina teaches International
Politics, Society and Institutions in Contemporary Europe, Intercultural Issues
in Business and Management and Conference Interpreting. She is a Chartered Linguist,
a Member of the Political Studies
Association, the International
Communication Association
and the University Association
of Contemporary European Studies. For a list of publications and funded projects, please click here.
Email: A.Strani@hw.ac.uk Twitter: @KaterinaStrani
Máiréad
Nic Craith is Professor of European
Culture and Heritage. Máiréad’s academic career began with a lectureship at the
University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, funded as a result of the
Irish Government’s commitment to the Anglo- Irish Agreement. Subsequently, she
was Director of the Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages at the University of
Ulster, set up in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement to undertake
cross-community research, teaching and outreach activities. During that time,
she collaborated with government and charitable organisations, such as the European
Bureau for Lesser Used Languages, Derry City Council, Diversity 21, the Ulster
American Folk Park, and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Collaborative
projects included a commissioned report for Fermanagh District Council on
cultural and linguistic policy. She led a report on African migration in
Northern Ireland commissioned by the Community Relations Council, and organised
a symposium on peace agreements and (mis)communication (in honour of the Nobel
laureate John Hume). In 2007, she was invited by the Smithsonian Folklife
Festival, Washington, to prepare a brief relating to culture and language
issues in Northern Ireland. Since her arrival to Heriot-Watt University in
2012, Mairead has developed links with national organisations such as the National
Library of Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland, and international
organisations such as POLIN (Museum of the History of Polish Jews). Having
collaborated with organisations such as the UN in Geneva, the Scottish-Polish
Heritage Project in Edinburgh and the Community Relations Council in Belfast,
she is deeply committed to enhancing awareness of the potential of heritage to
make a positive contribution to society (see her TEDx talk on Intangible
Heritage 2015). From 2016- 2019, she was involved in a HORIZON 2020
European-wide collaborative research project on cultural heritage and social
identity and cohesion. For a complete list of Máiréad’s publications, please
click here.
Email: M.NicCraith@hw.ac.uk Twitter: @mairead_nc
Ullrich
Kockel is Professor of Cultural
Ecology and Sustainability at HWU, as well as Emeritus Professor of Ethnology
at the University of Ulster and Visiting Professor in Vytautas Magnus
University, Kaunas. He has a diverse academic and professional background, switching
from a career in industrial management (Shell) to academic positions in
Economics, Political Science, Sociology, and later Irish Studies and Ethnology.
In 2003 he was elected to the Academy of Social Sciences and in 2012 he was
elected to the Royal Irish Academy.
Ullrich’s overarching research interest is in
sustainable local and regional development, especially the appraisal, planning
and management of heritage and other cultural resources, approached from an
interdisciplinary perspective rooted in anthropology, cultural ecology and
political economy. He has conducted fieldwork and led projects throughout
Europe. He is currently leading a work package in a €2.5m Horizon2020
project, CoHERE, on cultural forms and expressions of identity in
Europe. For a complete list of Ullrich’s publications, please click here.
Email: U.Kockel@hw.ac.uk Twitter: @KockelU
Kerstin
Pfeiffer is the Director of
Undergraduate Teaching Programmes in LINCS. Her academic background is in literature
and history, and her PhD work focused on new theoretical approaches to medieval
biblical drama. She is secretary for and co-founder of the BASE (Bodies, Affects, Senses and Emotions) working
group at the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF) and was
the School of Social Sciences representative on Subject Panel B (Design, Visual
Arts, Architecture, Creative Writing, Film, Drama & Theatre Studies,
Cultural Policy (Policy, Arts Management & Creative Industries), Music,
Television Studies) of the Scottish
Graduate School for the Arts and Humanities for 3
years.
Kerstin’s current research interests lie in the
area of theatre and performance studies and particularly in the investigation
of the afterlives of older dramatic forms and the role of drama in shaping,
maintaining and challenging notions of identity and community. She has published
on these topics and presented her research at many international
conferences. For a list of Kerstin’s publications, please click here.
Email: K.Pfeiffer@hw.ac.uk Twitter: @DrKPfeiffer
Claudia V.
Angelelli is Professor and Chair in
Multilingualism and Communication. She is also Professor Emerita
at San Diego State University and Visiting Professor at Beijing University
of Foreign Studies. Her research sits at the intersection of sociolinguistics,
applied linguistics and translation and interpreting studies. She designed the
first empirically-driven language proficiency and interpreter readiness tests
for The California Endowment and Hablamos Juntos (Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation). She has been PI in research projects in Argentina, Australia, the
European Union, and the United States. She has also led ISO 13611:
Standards on Community Interpreting and co-authored The California
Standards for Health Care Interpreters. Ethical Principles, Protocols, and
Guidance on Interpreter Roles and Interventions. She teaches Intercultural
Communication in the Workplace and Translation and Interpreting Studies. For a
full list of publications, please click here.
Email: C.Angelelli@hw.ac.uk
John
Cleary is
Associate Professor and Director of Studies for Exchange Programmes. With a
background in Applied Linguistics, English and TESOL, John teaches British
Culture & Society, Film Studies, Introduction to Languages and
Intercultural Studies, and Society and Institutions in Contemporary Europe. He
has coordinated many projects on internationalisation, pedagogy and
intercultural communication in Europe, Turkmenistan and South-East Asia. For a
list of John’s publications, please click here.
Email: J.A.Cleary@hw.ac.uk
PhD students
Chiara
Cocco – Cc80@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: Festivals and folklore through the lens of affect and emotions:
the case study of Sant’Efisio in Sardinia, supervised by Máiréad
Nic Craith and Kerstin
Pfeiffer
Chiara’s research explores the relationship between
cultural heritage performance and collective identity construction. Drawing
upon previous studies and theories which analysed national and cultural
identity construction in sites of heritage and memory (Knudsen, 2011; Arnold-de
Simine, 2013; Wight, 2016), in this research the focus shifts from museums to
ceremonies. The thesis suggests that dynamic heritage avenues, such as folklore
and festivals, could be also considered “places” of identity construction. It
also explores the dynamics of identity construction and representation in
festivals, through the lens of emotion and affect (Smith, 2006). For this
purpose, the research adopts the Festival of Sant’Efisio in Sardinia as its
case study, mainly because of its popularity among Sardinian population and
visitors, and its longevity (it has been celebrated in the island every year
since 1656). Moreover, as a Sardinian woman who has been living in Scotland for
over five years, Chiara considers this festival as part of her cultural
heritage and Sardinian belonging. Her research is, therefore, also a means
through which she can keep connected to her original home despite the physical
distance. Twitter: @ChiaraCocco88
Jos
Collins – jc120@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: Living Tradition and Cultural Revival: Scottish Folk Drama
in the 21st Century, supervised by Kerstin
Pfeiffer, Gary West, Neill Martin and Donald
Smith.
Jos’s
research project results from a partnership between the IRC, Celtic and
Scottish Studies (University of Edinburgh) and Traditional Arts and
Culture Scotland (TRACS, Scottish Storytelling Centre). It examines the reasons
behind the resurgence of interest in this old art form and folk custom and its
cultural implications. It seeks to investigate the motivations for participants
and what these can tell us about modern attitudes to concepts like tradition
and authenticity. The main aim of the project is to explore the place of
revived folk drama in contemporary Scottish society through the following
objectives: to produce a survey of Scottish folk drama activities today; to
examine community-led performances and related activities ethnographically; to
evaluate the motivations and aspirations of participants and organisers and to
assess their contribution to aspects of local identity, ideas of tradition, and
community dynamics; to investigate how folk drama as a living practice
contributes to developing conceptualisations of Intangible Cultural Heritage in
Scotland; and to contribute to the newly emerging ‘Creative Ethnology’ movement
led by the three institutions involved.
Naomi
Harvey – neh1@hw.ac.uk
Thesis topic: Collecting and preserving
access to Intangible Cultural Heritage within the digital environment:
Evaluating New Models for Scotland, supervised by Máiréad
Nic Craith and Ullrich
Kockel. Co-supervision from heritage
specialists is provided by Alistair Bell, Sound Curator, National Library of
Scotland and Scotland’s Sounds Project Manager, and Dr Hugh Hagan, National
Records of Scotland, whose expertise includes oral history and community
heritage.
This research is funded by the AHRC through the
Scottish Cultural Heritage Consortium Scholarship, 2016-19. It critically
examines issues surrounding digital preservation and access to ICH in Scotland,
through the case study of Scotland’s Sounds. The project will examine how
Scotland’s Sounds can ensure the sustainability of ICH sound collections,
encompassing issues of: (1) collecting sound in a digital environment (2)
digital access and preservation of sound material; (3) sustainable
relationships between creators, community organisations and public
institutions. The aim is to provide a theoretically informed critical analysis
of the opportunities and challenges that advances in digital technology present
for heritage organisations seeking to enhance the value, profile and
understanding of ICH. Twitter: @ArchiveGnome
Lucy Lannigan – lml5@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: ‘Sustainable Communities and Cultural Heritage Management: A closer
look at the Isle of Skye’, supervised by Ullrich Kockel and Kerstin
Pfeiffer
With a focus on local
communities, this thesis will analyse the sustainability of communities on the
Isle of Skye and how concerns over growing tourism have affected the cultural
heritage of this island. The aim is to provide practical advice and analysis in
order to better manage the relationship between local communities and the
tourism industry, in relation to sustainability and cultural heritage
management. The theoretical framework will focus on the link between
sustainability and cultural heritage management, discussing how we can develop
and nurture the future sustainability of communities on the Isle of Skye in
terms of heritage and culture. Emphasis will also be placed on external factors
such as social and traditional media, as well as the Bridge to Skye, detailing
how this has impacted the local communities, tourism industry, overall economy
and daily lives of the islanders. This thesis will address the necessity in
taking measures to ensure that tourism growth can be effectively managed in the
present and subsequent future, in relation to sustainability, to ensure that
the cultural heritage of the island is preserved and that the relationships
fostered between the local communities and the tourism industry remain
positive.
Alastair
Mackie – am279@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: ‘Becoming a smaller part of a larger whole: changing perceptions
of European identity in the Scottish independence movement’,
supervised by Katerina
Strani and Ullrich
Kockel.
This thesis explores how the perception and
understanding of European identity has changed in Scotland since 2014. Is the
adaptation of European identity for the purposes of supporting independence
merely a political, strategic use of collective identity, or has the debate on
EU membership resulted in a wider transformation of the role of Europe in
identity formation in Scotland? By means of ethnographic fieldwork, this
project aims form a better understanding of the function of Europe within the
identity formation of people in Scotland since the Brexit referendum. The
thesis aims to link the ethnological study of European identity to concepts of
vulnerability and shelter from small state studies. If Scotland were to become
an independent state it would be considered a small state in Europe. Due to
their size, small states have less resources than larger states, making them
more vulnerable to their external environment. Small states may seek ‘shelter’
with larger states or international organisations to counteract their
vulnerability. The thesis will ask how perceived vulnerability influences the
formation of European identity and whether European identity offers a form of
shelter by being conceptualised as a support for Scottish independence.
Twitter: @asbmackie
Catherine
McCullagh – cjm5@hw.ac.uk
Thesis topic: ‘Curating Heritage for
Sustainable Communities in Highly Vulnerable Environments: The Case of
Scotland’s Northern Isles’, supervised by Ullrich
Kockel, Donna
Heddle and Ian Tait.
Catherine is undertaking practice-based research with people in the archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. Her research is funded through an SGSAH ARC Studentship. The research practice is a project to co-curate a virtual museum of the Northern Isles, and is funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, the Hugh Fraser Foundation and Shetland Museum and Archives. Catherine’s interests include creative ethnology; exploring the radical politics of co-curation as a mode for communities mobilising shared authority and cultural democracy towards more socially just and sustainable futures; collaborative deliberation of value formation and social learning for sustainable development; identity-work; and developing new ways of knowing and working through praxis. For more information on Catherine’s background and research, click here. Twitter: @kittyjmac and @NorthernNousts
Marc
Romano – mhr7@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: Brexit and Heritage Futures in Scotland: The Auld Alliance –
Establishing a Counter-Heritage, supervised by Katerina
Strani and Máiréad
Nic Craith
As one of the longest relationships in the history,
the Auld Alliance challenges the recent Brexit discourse, which seeks to
establish a new geography outside of Europe. In its pursuit of a separatist
utopia free from bonds of European policy, Brexit offers a fictionalised
geography that denies Scotland’s seven centuries of European cultural
belonging. Marc’s PhD research is an exploration of the Auld Alliance as a
re-reading of Scotland’s heritage discourse with a view to establishing a
counter-heritage (to that which lies in the wings post-Brexit), one that
establishes an identity that cannot readily disentangle itself from European
culture. In a country where almost 20% of its population are in fact from
foreign origin and in which 5% of the total population came from European
Union, such political discourse endangers its multicultural stability. Perhaps
it is reflection of why Scotland voted to remain at 63%.
Ozge
Yalinay – oy30@hw.ac.uk
Thesis
topic: Interpreting Istanbul Grand Bazaar as a traditional
marketplace: contemporary cultural discourse, supervised
by Babak
Taheri and Máiréad
Nic Craith
This research is intrigued by work of cultural
discourse scholars, including Foucault, Said and Bakhtin, whose theory of
cultural consumption space provides with the conceptual vocabularies such as
‘orientalism’ and the ‘third space’. These spaces are unusual, anti-structured
and exceptional. Framed within such notions, the material and imaginary
landscape of Istanbul Bazaar offers such venue for cultural consumption
experience in non-Western context. The primary aim of this study is to bring
together contemporary cultural discourse in a traditional marketplace, with
particular focus on the Istanbul Bazaar, testing the usefulness of such theory
as an interpretive framework in a specific exceptional space in non-Western
context. More specifically, this study aims to offer insight into an
understanding of Western consumers’ journey and experience, examining the
dynamic process that flows from pre-visit to post-visit. The mixed-method
approach is used to collect data from both visitors and locals in order to
answer the aim of this study. The qualitative approach is applied using
observation, netnography and interviews, while the quantitative approach is
applied using questionnaires. For a list of Ozge’s publications, please
click here.