Serampore – Denmark’s unknown colony in India Serampore, a suburb of Kolkata in India, was a sign... more Serampore – Denmark’s unknown colony in India Serampore, a suburb of Kolkata in India, was a significant Danish trading colony from 1755 to 1845, but is today almost unknown in Denmark (fig.1 and 2). The Mogul Governor granted the Danes the right to engage in trade and administer the area against the payment of tax and customs duties. Many traces of the Danish period still exist in the historical centre of town, first and foremost the former Danish Government House (fig.7), St. Olav’s Church (figs.11, 12 and 13), Serampore College (fig. 4) and several Indian palaces (fig. 3). Today the old buildings are in decay and threatened by rapid urban development. It is now the last chance if the most important traces of Serampore’s Danish-Indian history are to be preserved for posterity. The Serampore Initiative of the National Museum of Denmark has been formed to document European and Indian buildings from the Danish period (fig. 6) and to restore a number of these buildings (figs.7-13). The restoration work is organized in close cooperation with the local state government and is being executed by local conservation architects and craftsmen. The Serampore Initiative also carries out archival research on Serampore’s history (fig. 14). The project is funded by Realdania and the Danish Ministry of Culture.
In anthropology and related disciplines it has become common to focus on how material objects tra... more In anthropology and related disciplines it has become common to focus on how material objects travel over distances and on the shifts of meaning they pass through when moving from one social context to another The A. takes a different approach, arguing that the focus on the movement of objects between contexts will not lead to an understanding of their meaning within any particular context. What he calls the meaning of an object is defined by its position in relation to other elements in the local social and cultural setting; thus to determine the meaning of any single element it is essential to examine this wider context. The example of consumption and modernity among the Mekeo in Papua New Guinea serves to illustrate the continued need for a localized and holistic approach to understanding the reality of a foreign culture and comparing it to other cultures, including one's own.
My discussion centres on local meanings of colonial heritage buildings, popular history and cultu... more My discussion centres on local meanings of colonial heritage buildings, popular history and cultural identity, in a context of rapid urban development. The study site is the town core of Danish-founded Serampore, a suburb to Kolkata, one of the world's largest metropolitan areas. Based on data mainly relating to my personal engagement in heritage conservation in Serampore, I analyse how once European buildings, and the history they are material manifestations of, are today inscribed in categories of local identity by the area's citizens. A story of ghosts turned heritage activists introduces the article's main themes and central arguments.
Bente Wolff: Food and Poison - a Twosided Coin: An Indonesian Example By using examples from food... more Bente Wolff: Food and Poison - a Twosided Coin: An Indonesian Example By using examples from food distribution at everyday occasions and feasts in a tourist area on South Nias Island, food is described as a life substance flowing to the individual from the social relations. This practice among others is both structured by and structuring for the experience of the fundamental principles of life as nourishi.ng substance given to the person by others. Life’s opposite, sickness and death, is then understood within the same logic as mortal substance coming from others, i.e. poison. These two categories are viewed as cultural expressions of the local economic system, but this system is not static. It is argued that poison today is understood as a more depersonalized force than previously, which is itself a result of an increase in commercialized exchange relations.
Father brought salt with him , he poured it on the hands and [the vill age people] tas ted it. He... more Father brought salt with him , he poured it on the hands and [the vill age people] tas ted it. He gave them rice, and they thought it was ants' eggs. He gave them soap, and they cooked it. When they took it out [of the pot) it was melting. And he gave them boots, and they thought it was mermaid's' legs, so they cooked it. After cooking, they took it out to eat it, but it was really hard [so) they said: «th e mermaid's leg is too hard to eat!»
Serampore – Denmark’s unknown colony in India Serampore, a suburb of Kolkata in India, was a sign... more Serampore – Denmark’s unknown colony in India Serampore, a suburb of Kolkata in India, was a significant Danish trading colony from 1755 to 1845, but is today almost unknown in Denmark (fig.1 and 2). The Mogul Governor granted the Danes the right to engage in trade and administer the area against the payment of tax and customs duties. Many traces of the Danish period still exist in the historical centre of town, first and foremost the former Danish Government House (fig.7), St. Olav’s Church (figs.11, 12 and 13), Serampore College (fig. 4) and several Indian palaces (fig. 3). Today the old buildings are in decay and threatened by rapid urban development. It is now the last chance if the most important traces of Serampore’s Danish-Indian history are to be preserved for posterity. The Serampore Initiative of the National Museum of Denmark has been formed to document European and Indian buildings from the Danish period (fig. 6) and to restore a number of these buildings (figs.7-13). The restoration work is organized in close cooperation with the local state government and is being executed by local conservation architects and craftsmen. The Serampore Initiative also carries out archival research on Serampore’s history (fig. 14). The project is funded by Realdania and the Danish Ministry of Culture.
In anthropology and related disciplines it has become common to focus on how material objects tra... more In anthropology and related disciplines it has become common to focus on how material objects travel over distances and on the shifts of meaning they pass through when moving from one social context to another The A. takes a different approach, arguing that the focus on the movement of objects between contexts will not lead to an understanding of their meaning within any particular context. What he calls the meaning of an object is defined by its position in relation to other elements in the local social and cultural setting; thus to determine the meaning of any single element it is essential to examine this wider context. The example of consumption and modernity among the Mekeo in Papua New Guinea serves to illustrate the continued need for a localized and holistic approach to understanding the reality of a foreign culture and comparing it to other cultures, including one's own.
My discussion centres on local meanings of colonial heritage buildings, popular history and cultu... more My discussion centres on local meanings of colonial heritage buildings, popular history and cultural identity, in a context of rapid urban development. The study site is the town core of Danish-founded Serampore, a suburb to Kolkata, one of the world's largest metropolitan areas. Based on data mainly relating to my personal engagement in heritage conservation in Serampore, I analyse how once European buildings, and the history they are material manifestations of, are today inscribed in categories of local identity by the area's citizens. A story of ghosts turned heritage activists introduces the article's main themes and central arguments.
Bente Wolff: Food and Poison - a Twosided Coin: An Indonesian Example By using examples from food... more Bente Wolff: Food and Poison - a Twosided Coin: An Indonesian Example By using examples from food distribution at everyday occasions and feasts in a tourist area on South Nias Island, food is described as a life substance flowing to the individual from the social relations. This practice among others is both structured by and structuring for the experience of the fundamental principles of life as nourishi.ng substance given to the person by others. Life’s opposite, sickness and death, is then understood within the same logic as mortal substance coming from others, i.e. poison. These two categories are viewed as cultural expressions of the local economic system, but this system is not static. It is argued that poison today is understood as a more depersonalized force than previously, which is itself a result of an increase in commercialized exchange relations.
Father brought salt with him , he poured it on the hands and [the vill age people] tas ted it. He... more Father brought salt with him , he poured it on the hands and [the vill age people] tas ted it. He gave them rice, and they thought it was ants' eggs. He gave them soap, and they cooked it. When they took it out [of the pot) it was melting. And he gave them boots, and they thought it was mermaid's' legs, so they cooked it. After cooking, they took it out to eat it, but it was really hard [so) they said: «th e mermaid's leg is too hard to eat!»
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