Project description
Understanding the role of Christian minorities in India and Bangladesh
The cultural heritage of Christian minorities in India and Bangladesh is underexplored. Many medieval and early modern churches reflect local identities and traditions. Religious minorities in South Asia face increasing challenges, and many pre-1800 churches have either disappeared or are at risk. The ERC-funded ID-SCAPES project aims to develop a Social History of the Built Environment of mediaeval and early modern churches and sacral landscapes in India and Bangladesh. By examining the influences of various agencies, identities, and traditions on the design of these sites, the project seeks to understand the crucial role of churches in shaping the collective identities of Christian minorities today and their contribution to the cultural diversity of South Asia.
Objective
The cultural heritage associated with India and Bangladesh’s Christian minorities remains understudied and its historical significance is often contested. Many of the countries’ medieval and early modern churches were built primarily for communities of newly converted Christians that came from different regions and caste backgrounds and therefore carried corresponding identities. Even today, many of South Asia’s churches reflect these local identities and traditions, with factors such as caste, “indigenous” agency, and cultural “accommodation” playing a role in their social and architectural history. These contexts originated distinct regional architectural expressions in the countries’ six main Christian ethnolinguistic communities (East Indians, Goans, Mangaloreans, Keralites, Tamils and Bengalis) However, most scholarly work has addressed the design of these churches against the background of European artistic tendencies - such as mannerism or baroque - while local contexts and traditions have remained overlooked. Today, as dominant groups assert hegemonic policies across South Asia, religious minorities face increasing challenges, and their cultural heritage is oftentimes at risk. Many of South Asia’s churches founded before ca. 1800 have disappeared, are in ruins or have been deeply transformed, and there is a sense of urgency in documenting the churches that remain. ID-SCAPES will produce a Social History of the Built Environment of India and Bangladesh’s medieval and early modern churches and sacral landscapes, uncovering the influences of diverse agencies, identities and traditions on their overall design. By producing knowledge on this body of architecture, with in-depth analysis providing vision for contested and/or endangered sites, the project will ascertain how churches are vital in framing the collective identities of Christian minorities today, thereby nurturing their resilience and contributing towards the diversity of South Asia’s cultural heritage
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
4099-002 Porto
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.