Projects
Towards a cultural sociology of sustainable citizenship: Understanding different ways of crafting sustainable citizenship through cultural repertoires. University of Antwerp
Evolution, philosophy and cultural diversity. KU Leuven
Actresses and their Literary Networks: Reshaping the Cultural Scene in Early Modern Italy Ghent University
Professional actresses were among the few women to build wide literary networks and play an active cultural role in early modern Italy. Yet moralists commonly labelled them as ‘weavers of infernal webs’, ‘violators of spectator’s chastity’, or ‘prostitutes’, colouring critical perceptions for centuries and eclipsing their cultural achievements. This project examines the ways in which six prominent actresses in the professional theatre (now ...
From Hellas to Haarlem: New Ancient Greek literature on the cultural scene of the early modern Low Countries (ca. 1484–1700) KU Leuven
While it is well-known that Latin served as a major literary language in the early modern period (ca. 1400–1700), it is much less known that authors from that era also produced a rich literature in the language of ancient Greece. There is as yet no systematic study of this intriguing phenomenon, which flourished across the European continent from Italy to Scandinavia, and especially in the cultural and linguistic melting pot that were the Low ...
From Rhetoric to Interdiscursivity: Reception of a Cultural Paradigm Shift in German Literature After 1800 KU Leuven
Between 1500 and 1800, rhetoric held a dominant position in European culture. Not only did it serve as a set of formal rules, but it also represented a system of human virtues and a mode of cultural thinking. As such, it was closely tied to absolutist monarchies and Christianity. It played a central role in education until well into the 19th century. However, after 1800 rhetoric lost its social function as an all-encompassing cultural system. ...
B-Magic. The Magic Lantern and its Cultural Impact as Visual Mass Medium in Belgium (1830-1940) KU Leuven
This project will write the as yet unwritten history of the magic lantern as a mass medium in Belgium. In doing so, it will make an essential contribution to the study of the country's cultural history as well as to international media historiography. It aims to rediscover the various functions of the lantern performance within the Belgian public sphere, in particular, its use in the transmission and negotiation of knowledge, norms and values ...
Sacred Gender Exclusion: A Study of Cultural Heritage and Religious Tradition in Modern Japan Ghent University
This project concerns the practice of excluding women or men from religious sites and religious
practices in Japan, and the complex interconnections among religion, traditions, and cultural
heritage in the modern period (1868 to the present). Three Japanese sites recognized as UNESCO
World Cultural Heritage (WCH) have historically banned-or currently ban-women's access as a
condition of "religious tradition." A fourth ...
The Voices of Literature: Radio, Periodicals, and Cultural Conflict (1922-1939) Ghent University
This project is situated at the intersection of periodical studies and literary radio studies. With the
introduction of sound studies into literary studies, radio has become an important focal point in
modernist studies. Modernist authors made use of radiogenic features in their work and engaged
in broadcasting. If radio is no longer the forgotten medium it once was, the relationship between
the ...
Perceptions of a Traditional Instrument in a Globalized World: the Highland Bagpipe and Contemporary Art Music. A Music-Analytical and Cultural Inquiry. KU Leuven
While the Great Highland bagpipe is normally associated with Scotland and its traditional music, the instrument has, from the nineteen-seventies onwards, enjoyed an increasing use in classical music. A varied repertoire comprising a range of musical styles and instrumental approaches has emerged, awaiting, however, an indepth analysis. The proposed research project will fill this gap, studying how musical and cultural associations tied to the ...