Upcoming Events

The Independent School for the City organizes various public events, addressing topics that respond to current relevant issues in urbanisation, and offers a platform to other organisation dealing with the city. The events are accessible to all 'urban' professionals in Rotterdam and beyond.

Nov 21

Symposium on Cultural Erasure

The destruction of cultural heritage such as ancient buildings, works of art and books are deliberately targeted by the military forces. Sometimes they are looted and appropriated as trophies; at other times they are destroyed to demoralise the enemy. And sometimes they are erased in a concerted effort to wipe the existence of an entire people from history, concealing genocide and legitimising colonisation.

During this symposium, organised in collaboration with the Spatial Justice for Palestine Network (SJ4PN, NL) and the Ukraine - Netherlands Urban Network (UNUN), we will discuss together with Wouter Vanstiphout, Nama’a Qudah, Arna Mačkić, Ankie Petersen, and others, how to acknowledge the erasure, how to help document and collect it, how to protect threatened heritage and how platforms for the stricken people can facilitate sharing heritage and their right to exist with the world.