Cultural Heritage Studies Program at CEU

27/03/2025

The students of the Cultural Management class invite you to Spektakel, this Saturday from 18:00 onward for Salam Salon, an exciting event that combines two student-organised exhibitions!
Exhibition: Reorienting: Echoing the History of the Festival
For over two decades, Salam Music Festival has brought the vibrant sounds, rhythms, and stories of North Africa, the Middle East, and beyond to Vienna audiences. This year, Spektakel invites you to revisit the festival’s journey—a celebration of music, art, and social connection that has shaped Vienna’s cultural landscape.
Step into the past and present of Salam Music & Arts Festival, explore iconic performances, and engage with a legacy of community, artistic expression, and cultural dialogue.

The Carpet Mosaic: A Collaborative Collage
This installation transforms the familiar image of the carpet—a symbol of home across many cultures—into a collective, shared creative experience.
Step in and be part of the artwork! Choose and arrange images of carpets from different cultures represented at the Salam Music Festival over the years. Each piece comes with details about its origins and the stories woven into its patterns. Together, we’ll create a layered, evolving collage that reflects the deep connections between music, tradition, and the spaces we call home.

22/03/2025

Hey everyone!
Meet Ahoo Maher, Arianaz Golrokh, Nima Noury - the panelists, and Leyli Nouri - the moderator of the discussion following the screening of “No Land’s Song” April 2nd at Spektakel.
Ahoo Maher is a Vienna-based Iranian artist, performer, and curator whose work centers on depicting the realities of life from a female perspective. Through her various exhibitions, Ahoo explores and illuminates the complex societal situations of women, both globally and specifically in Iran.
Arianaz Golrokh is a researcher and social anthropologist specializing in feminist movements, political mobilization, and activism under repression in the MENA region. She holds an MA in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Central European University and a BSc in Anthropology from the University of Tehran. Her research explores informal feminist networks, transnational activism, and the dynamics of political mobilization in exile.
Nima Noury is an Iranian musician specializing in traditional Iranian music. Skilled in playing Tar, Setar, and Oud, Nima blends traditional and innovative sounds. He works closely with the Hamburg Ratsmusik and the Tehran Neoclassical Ensemble to present Middle Eastern music from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Leyli Nouri is a co-founder of Javaneh, a Vienna-based Kurdish, Afghan, and Iranian association committed to artistic expressions of feminist resistance against repressive political regimes. Through her work with Javaneh, Leyli has presented numerous artistic and educational projects, fostering connections between the Viennese audience and the culture and context of the Middle Eastern region.
We look forward to seeing you at the screening!
Don’t hesitate to bring friends!

16/03/2025

Hey everyone!
As a part of our collaboration with Salam Music Festival, we invite you for the screening of a documentary Iranian film “No Land’s Song” (2014) with an introduction by director Ayat Najafi followed by a panel discussion with the Iranian experts and artists.

The documentary follows Iranian composer Sara Najafi as she challenges country’s ban on female solo singers performing in public. She organizes a live concert in Tehran featuring both Iranian and French female vocalists to directly oppose the regime and challenge the cultural restrictions. The film explores the obstacles they face and the broader implications for women’s freedom in Iran.
Sara Najafi sees the project as a resistance against government-imposed misogyny, stating, “The female voice is fading away.” More than a decade after the movie was first shown on the big screen, women in Iran currently face even more brutal conditions with intensified repression of female artists and activists.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, raising the questions of artistic freedom in Iran, persecution of female artists in the public space, etc. The screening and panel discussion will be in English.

Join us 2nd of April at 18.00 at Spektakel (1050), and do not hesitate to invite your friends!

06/05/2024

🌍 Don’t miss out on the Cumulus Conference in Budapest, organized by the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest!

🎨 This year’s topic, ‘Preferences of Design’, will thematize the future of design amidst global challenges.

The three day program (15-17 May) will be packed with presentations, workshops and exhibitons!

“Our references for understanding and relating to the world, as well as our preferences when we make our choices as humans are confronted by major ecological, socio-economic, and geopolitical challenges. The horizons of art and design are changing. Anchor points, both old and new, must be reconsidered. As modern value structures break down and new ones emerge, we find ourselves in an age of liminality.”

📍 Location: Budapest, Hungary
🎓 Special Offer: BA and MA students enjoy half-price tickets at 350 EUR! Online tickets available for 220 EUR.

🔍 Topics:
• Strategic design
• Systems thinking
• Co-creation
• More-than-human design

🌐 Join the conference to explore the exciting intersections of design, society, and technology!

🔗 Register now through their website!

14/03/2024

Join us at this year’s exciting project!

🌟 Join us at the Weltmuseum Wien for an enchanting journey! 🌟

CEU Adventurers, get ready to dive into mystery, history, and magic with a special visit that offers more than just a tour—it’s a chance to be part of a unique story linked to the museum’s rich collections.

🚢 Embark on the Flying Weltman, a ship cursed to sail through time, and help the silent crew by uncovering a long-lost spell hidden in the history of the collection.

🧩 Complete the tasks and break the curse. Multiple time slots available for your adventure, ending with a reception at the museum’s cafe for storytelling among friends.

💶 A €5 deposit, refunded after your adventure, secures your spot.

📝 This magical quest is a CEU exclusive. Spaces are limited to 30 students, and the tides wait for no one.

Please register through the link in our bio!

15/10/2023

An interview by our alumna, Karen Culver, with Clement Akpang on the decolonization of museums.

In this RevDem podcast episode for the Democracy and Culture section, RevDem assistant editor Karen Culver speaks with Clement Akpang about his research into European museums and how their displays can mitigate or exacerbate perceptions of social inequalities in post-colonial settings.

14/09/2023

Applications are open! Check our website (in comment) for details!

04/04/2023

We museums are generous. We collect and exhibit objects and spread their stories, often to make lessons of the past tangible and to inspire people...

28/03/2023

https://revdem.ceu.edu/2023/03/28/heritage-in-war-a-key-to-define-the-future-of-ukraine/

Dóra Mérai, a lecturer of Cultural Heritage Studies at CEU, explores how heritage - often used to promote divisions - has also been reframed in Ukraine following Russia's invasion "to develop empathy, express solidarity, and help people cope with the difficulties".