Author's Corner

Few western musical repertories speak more to the imagination than the Requiem mass for the dead. The Book of Requiems presents in-depth essays on the most important works in this tradition, from the origins of the genre up to the present day.

In The Sound of Architecture editors Angeliki Sioli and Elisavet Kiourtsoglou demonstrate that sound is a tangible element in the design and staging of atmospheres and that it should become a central part of the spatial explorations of architects, designers, and urban planners.

‘Leaving Spain’ is based on 58 autobiographical narrative interviews with recent Spanish migrants who went to the UK and Germany, and sometimes returned. "Their stories are stories of vulnerability, but also of human resilience and finding creative solutions in times of adversity", explains Mê-Linh Riemann.

Meticulously connecting objects, people and domestic spaces, At Home in Renaissance Bruges introduces the reader to the rich material world of Bruges citizens in the Renaissance, their sensory engagement, their religious practice, the daily activities of men and women, and other social factors. “I was often moved by the 'little stories', which suddenly turned my research population into people of flesh and blood”, says author Julie De Groot.

The art world is a multi-billion-dollar industry which captures world headlines on a regular basis, for both good and bad reasons. When Art Isn’t Real deals with one of the most-discussed areas of controversy: high-profile objects that have experts arguing about their veracity. Some may have been looted, others may be fakes, some may be heavily restored or misattributed. Often, in these cases, analytical science is called on to settle a dispute. Authors Andrew Shortland and Patrick Degryse share some insights from behind the scenes and talk about what their project entails.

Visualising Small Traumas is the first English-language book to deal with Portuguese contemporary comics, exploring how trauma studies can both shed light on the making of comics and be informed by that very same practice. “When we talk about ‘trauma’ in the humanities, we are referring to overwhelming experiences (war, abuse, terrorist attacks) that are accordingly depicted in breathtaking stories. But I'm afraid that discussing only that sort of situations leads to a narrow view of what trauma is,” states author Pedro Moura.

Using case studies of past and present translation policies in different parts of the world, Translation Policies in Legal and Institutional Settings effectively illustrates how a multidisciplinary perspective furthers our understanding of translation policies and unveils their intrinsic connection to issues such as multilingualism, linguistic justice, minority rights, and citizenship. In this Q&A, editors Marie Bourguignon, Bieke Nouws, and Heleen van Gerwen discuss the story behind the project and offer recommendations for those interested in the topic.

How do co-creative methods contribute to efforts to understand and facilitate integration processes of migrants in migrant societies? Co-creation in Migration Studies aims to analyse the use of co-creative methods in migrant research and policy making, to reflect on the conditions necessary to successfully implement these methods, and to offer new insights and recommendations for future research and policy making practices. Editor Lore Van Praag shares some insights from behind the scenes and talks about what this project entails.

In Colonial Legacies, Gabriella Nugent examines a generation of contemporary artists born or based in the Congo whose lens-based art attends to the afterlives and mutations of Belgian colonialism in postcolonial Congo. Nugent analyses artworks, and demonstrates how their practices create a new type of visual record for the future. “I have always thought that the concerns addressed by the artists in my book were pressing, but it has been interesting to see them pushed to the forefront of art history, as well as museums and other institutions,” she states. 

Fiction plays a key role in shaping the image of social groups within societies? In his book Character Constellations, Roel Smeets delves into 170 contemporary Dutch-language novels, and using data-driven, statistical models, he analyses depictions of characters in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, and other identity categories to understand the influence behind cultural representation and identity, and the role fiction and art have on these topics.

As the world keeps evolving towards a digitalized future, developing technologies also find their way into the higher education institutions and the need to design courses by incorporating necessary educational tools and materials is present more than ever. In this book, scholars Wim Van Petegem, JP Bosman, Miné De Klerk, and Sonja Strydom aim to provide both a framework and a guideline to help scholars acquire the necessary skills and qualifications to curate a digital approach to their work.

Imagine a world in which every individual has the fundamental right to be reborn. This vain dream haunts Ground Sea, Hilde Van Gelder's associative travelogue.

 

Stel je een wereld voor waarin elk individu het fundamentele recht heeft om herboren te worden. Deze ijdele droom waart rond in Ground Sea, Hilde Van Gelder's associatief reisverslag.