Arts Lab Theme: Heritage, Urban Studies and Development
Date: Thursday 02 November 2023
Time: 16:00 - 17:45
Venue: St Andrews Building, Room 224. Online option
Category: Public lectures, Academic events
Speaker: Percy Arfeen-Wegner, Ruhr University Bochum

Present-day Kerala, located in the southwestern tip of the Indian subcontinent is popularly known as “God’s Own Country” to showcase its rich traditions of religious harmony and coexistence between multiple faiths — Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews, amongst others. Indeed, the presence of west Asian religious communities in Malabar can be conclusively dated to c. 9th century CE, based on epigraphical evidence. However, in the historiography of architectural traditions heretofore, it is commonly accepted that these communities borrowed “Hindu” building traditions. This lecture contextualises the notion of sacred spaces in the region, problematising the conventional categorisation of architectural traditions as either “Indic” or “non-Indic” based solely on religious affiliations.

The lecture presents an in-depth historical analysis of a defining architectural feature of Malabar—its overhanging timber roof. This feature serves as a lens through which we can trace the evolution and adaptability of architectural traditions longue durée. The lecture demonstrates transformations and shifts within timber roofing traditions of Malabar, wherein techniques from diverse repertoires, including those from Europe, are adapted and internalised. It emphasises the continuous dynamism of architectural features by demonstrating aspects of transformations of existing components, integration of newer elements, as well as the decline of others. It argues that a comprehensive examination of building traditions requires an inclusive approach that transcends strict religious divides.

In summary, the lecture navigates the complex interplay between tradition and transformation in the region's architectural history. It urges to reconsider preconceived notions about the influence of religious affiliations on architectural styles and underscores the ever-evolving nature of architectural traditions, questioning the validity of perceiving traditions as a given set of values at any point in time.

Speaker’s Bio:

Percy Arfeen-Wegner is a researcher at the Centre for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Her research explores historical traditions of building sacred spaces (comprising mosques, synagogues, churches, and temples), and the transcultural relationships manifested in such traditions along the Malabar Coast. She was a recipient of the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD) Grant for her research (2018–2022). She has presented her work at various international conferences, such as the European Conference for South Asian Studies, University of Turin, Italy (2023), European Association for Jewish Studies Congress, Goethe University, Frankfurt (2023), Indian Ocean World Archaeology Conference, University of Exeter (2019), amongst others. She has been invited for guest lectures by the Institute for Oriental and Asian Studies, University of Bonn (2021) and the Humboldt University, Berlin (2019). Her recent publications include “Symbiotic Sacred Spaces: An Indexical Study of Premodern Malabar”, in Himanshu Ray, Salila Kulshreshtha & Uthara Suvrathan (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Hindu Temples: Materiality, Social History and Practice, London/New York: Routledge (2022) and “Entangled Identities: Approaching Sacred Spaces of Premodern Kerala, South India”, in Bar Kribus, Zara Pogossian & Alexandra Cuffel (eds.), Material Encounters between Jews and Christians: From the Silk and Spice Routes to the Highlands of Ethiopia, Leeds: Arc Humanities Press (forthcoming), among others.

Image: Thazhathangadi Jumapalli (mosque), eastern gable, Kottayam, 2017 (Image credit: Percy Arfeen-Wegner).

Contact John.R.Davies@glasgow.ac.uk for the link if you wish to join on line.