Research profile
Christian Ernsten’s research is situated at the intersection of the fields of heritage studies, urban studies and postcolonial studies. He specializes in the study of the heritage practices involved conservation and design of urban and natural landscapes, both locally and globally. Currently, he explores the interrelations between rivers’ cultural and natural heritage in the Maastricht and Cape Town regions, applying, amongst others, transdisciplinary research methodologies, such as embedded ethnographic research, walking as a form of embodied research, and photographic recordings.
Research projects
Christian Ernsten brings a humanities background into the study of landscape heritage, taking a global north/global south comparative research perspective. He studies uses of the past by applying, amongst others, experimental methodologiessuch as field walking and photographic recordings. Currently, his work is mainly focused on issues of water and heritage. He is engaged with a research project on river heritage in the Western Cape region in South Africa as well as with an Euregional project on the heritage of the Meuse.
Publications
Core publications:
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Ernsten, C. (2018). The “Bigger Picture”: How the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 World Design Capital Events Conditioned Cape Town’s Urban Transformation. Urban Forum, 29(1), 63-84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-017-9325-0
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Ernsten, C. (2017). A Renaissance with Revenants: Images gathered from the Ruins of Cape Town’s Districts One and Six. In L. McAtackney, & K. Ryzewski (Eds.), Contemporary Archaeology and the City.: Creativity, Ruination, and Political Action (pp. 211-228). Oxford University Press.
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Ernsten, C. (2017). Truth as historical recapitulation: the dead of Cape Town’s District One. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 23(6), 575-586. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1300932
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Ernsten, C. (2015). The Ruins of Cape Town’s District Six. Archaeologies, 11(3), 342-371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-015-9281-z
Most recent publications:
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Benschop, R., Ernsten, C., Garfitt Christensen, O., Jourdain, A., & Rausch, C. (2022). Maastricht Experimental Research in and through the Arts Network: MERIAN and the Legacies of Maria Sybilla Merian/The Maastricht Style of Artistic Research.
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Shepherd, N., & Ernsten, C. (2021). An Anthropocene journey: Walking as embodied research. In H. Star Rogers, M. K. Halpern, K. de Ridder-Vignone, & D. Hannah (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Art, Science, and Technology Studies Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437069-45
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Ernsten, C. (2021). Colonial Heritage and Urban Transformation in the Global South: Excavating the Ruins of Cape Town's Rebirth. Springer. Studies in Art, Heritage, Law, and the Market Vol. 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85806-3
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Ernsten, C. (Author), Visser, D-J. (Photographer), Wong, E. (Designer), & Kruchten, I. (Developer). (2021). Day Zero / Ground Zero Cape Town: A Decolonial Walk along the Liesbeek River. Web publication/site, Maastricht University Library. https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/collections/special-collections/exhibitions/day-zero-ground-zero-cape-town/
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Visser, D-J. (Author), Ernsten, C. (Author), Wong, E. (Designer), & van der Linden, A. J. (Developer). (2021). Walking Seminar Den Haag: Over de nieuwe rol van kunst in de openbare ruimte. Web publication/site, Stroom Den Haag. https://walkingseminar.stroom.nl
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Ernsten, C., Minkema, M., & Visser, D-J. (Eds.) (2020). Voorland Groningen: Wandelingen door het Antropoceen. Nai010.
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Ernsten, C., & Shepherd, N. (2020). A Decolonial Diary: Traversing the Colonial Pasts and Presents of the Cape of Good Hope. Journal of Contemporary Archaeology, 7(2), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.1558/jca.40432
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Ernsten, C., & Bystrykh, J. (2020). Agtech Landschap. In C. Ernsten, M. Minkema, & D-J. Visser (Eds.), Voorland Groningen: Wandelingen door het Antropoceen (pp. 174-181). Nai010.
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Ernsten, C., Shepherd, N., & Visser, D-J. (2020). An Anthropocene Journey: Walking as Embodied Research. In A. Ladenburg, & A. Twemlow (Eds.), Walking as a Research Method in Art and Design (pp. 13-19). KABK Lectorate Design.
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Ernsten, C., & van Stiphout, M. (2020). Landschap en zingeving. In C. Ernsten, M. Minkema, & D-J. Visser (Eds.), Voorland Groningen: Wandelingen door het Antropoceen (pp. 44-53). Nai010.
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