CES-UC researcher wins ERC Consolidator Grant to study cultural heritage in India and Bangladesh

^{Translation: Diana Taborda}

Sidh Losa Mendiratta, a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra (CES-UC), has just been awarded an ERC (European Research Council) Consolidator Grant to lead the ID-SCAPES project - Building Identity: Religious Architecture and Sacral Landscapes of Christian Minorities in India and Bangladesh.

Mendiratta explains that "the ID-SCAPES project focuses on the Portuguese-influenced cultural heritage associated with Christian minorities in India and Bangladesh, which is a cross-cultural, diverse and sometimes contested heritage, but always crucial to the history, identity and resilience of those minorities". The five-year research project will focus on South Asia, exploring the cultural and religious heritage built before the 19th century in India and Bangladesh. Based on archival research in several European and US locations and fieldwork on a selected number of religious buildings, the project proposes an analytical approach that goes beyond previous studies by including factors such as caste, local artistic traditions, and the actions of the so-called 'native' clergy.”

ID-SCAPES recognises the diverse realities and challenges faced by the different ethno-linguistic communities of India and Bangladesh, and the crucial role that religion and religious heritage continue to play in shaping the collective identity of these communities.

At a time when hegemonic policies and agendas are affecting several countries in South Asia, sometimes threatening the integrity and management of the cultural heritage of religious minorities, this study takes on urgency. The Principal Investigator claims that “Many of the churches in India and Bangladesh founded before the 19th century have disappeared, deteriorated or undergone major changes, and those that are left urgently need to be studied and documented”.

The project will create a visual database of photographs, drawings and iconography relating to this precious ensemble of religious architecture, which represents a dialogue between Portuguese-influenced architecture and local influences from South Asia, as well as from countries such as Italy, France and the Netherlands.

According to Sidh Losa Mendiratta, the main objective of ID-SCAPES is "to produce a social history of the architecture of medieval and early modern sacralised churches and landscapes in India and Bangladesh, revealing the influences of different entities, identities and traditions on the several scales and dimensions of these architectural structures".

The ID-SCAPES project is anticipated to make a significant impact by generating original scientific knowledge, training early career researchers, engaging with community representatives, religious associations, and clergy in India and Bangladesh. Through meticulous documentation, the project aims to preserve cultural heritage that is either contested or at risk of erosion and disappearance.

Architect and PhD in History and Theory of Architecture, Sidh Losa Mendiratta is a researcher at CES-UC, and currently Co-Principal Investigator of the research project "PORTofCALL. African-Asian-European Encounters: Cultural Heritage and Ports of Call in the Indian Ocean during the Early Modern Period" funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology).

This almost €2 million grant, one of the most competitive fundings in Europe, is the ninth ERC project secured by a CES researcher. The purpose of the ERC Consolidator Grants is to support outstanding researchers at a stage when they are consolidating their independent research teams or projects. This is yet another award for studies carried out at CES-UC, indicative of the quality and innovation of the projects developed by its researchers.