Robert Belot -> The academic field of heritge – ProPEACE
Robert Belot is full Professor Université Jean Monnet, coordinating institution for an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree on cultural heritage and cultural landscape and a Strategic Partnership on the same topic: ProPEACE from 2016 to 2019.
ProPEACE seeks to place the academic field of heritage in a European perspective. In order to do this, it offers innovative solutions for a dynamic modernization of the European higher education about heritage. Indeed, curricula on heritage are usually offered by Humanities and Social Sciences faculties. Those have real difficulties to reform and adapt to new realities. At the end there is an intellectual and social challenge of working on a moving disciplinary field offered by a rigid structure. All European cities dream of labeling (UNESCO, European Capital of Culture) but how many of them can develop and manage in a sustainable and successful way their land with their heritage? There is a lack of trained staff and university does not have a prospective vision of the future and is unable to change its methods. Consequently, many European cultural projects do not develop as they could. It is also difficult to define what makes heritage because its media success blurs its definition. Then, over 3 years, ProPEACE will offer a program of activities to reconsider the European heritage, provide citizens’ proposals regarding a cultural future together and meet employers’ needs and expectations.
Project title: “ProPEACE”
Participant: Robert Belot
Université Jean Monnet