ANNALS

2024

Studies of cultural processes in global contexts

using Euro-Brazilian relations as a frame of reference

In 2024, studies of global connections and processes were conducted in Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Brazil, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. These studies are part of a history of cultural studies that originated in Brazil in the 1960s and continued in Europe from 1974 onward. Through observations, discussions, and site visits in various Eastern and European countries, studies that had been ongoing for decades were able to continue. The planning and preparation of the year's study program took place in workshops held at Walchensee in Bavaria at the beginning of 2024. The focus was on the East/West program of the academic organization Brasil-Europa.

Preparations

This program, developed since the 1970s with the support of specialists from various institutions in Cologne, such as the Japanese Cultural Institute, the Rautehstrauch-Joest Museum, the Institute of Ethnology and the Institute of Musicology at the University of Cologne, as well as the China Center in St. Augustin near Bonn, was based on research and experiences with Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans and their descendants in São Paulo. Studies of Asian migrant groups played a significant role in the renewal of cultural studies and the introduction of ethnomusicology at the Faculty of Music and Art Education in São Paulo since the mid-1960s. The studies conducted at that time were reviewed during the preparation of the 2024 program, and the topics they addressed were discussed at the sessions in the countries visited.

China Studies

The China Studies, based in Hong Kong, serves to recapitulate and update knowledge gained in 1996 during the handover of the former British Crown Colony to China. At that time, institutions in Hong Kong and Macau were visited, and colloquia and archival research were conducted, providing the basis for publications, courses in Germany, and an international symposium in Portugal. Now, approximately 30 years later, the project aims to assess the developments that have occurred under the changed political circumstances.

The China studies of 2024 focused on Shanghai. The city's significance for understanding relations and interactions between the Far East and the West has long been recognized. The presence of Europeans and their institutions in this important trading center was examined based on historical sources. The aim of the 2024 study was, among other things, to identify the buildings constructed at that time for European trade activities and cultural life, and to assess their impact on the changing urban landscape. The primary focus was on observing the urban environment and comparing these observations with knowledge gained from previous visits to Beijing and its institutions.

Korean Studies

In Korea, the final projects presented by students in 1974 to pupils from Korean migrant families in São Paulo were recalled. Attention was also focused on urban developments and the gentrification of spontaneously emerging and expanding hillside neighborhoods, which were considered analogous to some unplanned settlements in Brazilian cities. Urban landscaping along the coast of the port city of Busan was also examined.

Japan Studies

In 2024, several cities in Japan were visited: Tokyo, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Himeki, Nara, Osaka, Shimizu/Shizuoka, Yokohama, and Kamakura. In each context, aspects of decades of Japanese studies were addressed. Among them, she highlighted those who were important for the history of the presence of Europeans in Japan since the time of discovery. In particular, the visit to the church and museum of the early Christianization in the 16th century and of the martyrs of Japan fulfilled a long-held desideratum.

In all the cities visited, attention was focused on the relationship between architecture and nature, as well as landscape and garden design. Among the many parks and gardens surrounding temple complexes, those of Kagoshima stood out. The park in Nara, with its free-roaming animals, received particular attention.

Brazil: Archival Studies

At the Brazil-Europe Study Center in the Mantiquera Mountains in São Paulo, archival work and the digitization of sources continued. This work served to preserve the documents collected in research since the 1960s. Among these were materials on the culture, art, and music of Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans and their descendants in São Paulo, which were also re-examined.

Germany

The knowledge gained in Japan, China, and Korea was subsequently discussed in Cologne and Berlin. These meetings primarily served to prepare for upcoming projects in France. These studies were also intended to update knowledge acquired since 

France - Rhône, Auvergne, and Loire regions

The studies primarily focused on the Franco-German Forum of 1983 and the colloquium on cultural anthropology held in France in 1985. Numerous cities and institutions were visited, including Nancy, Viviers, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Port-Saint-Louis, Avignon, Gordes, Roussillon, Tain-l'Heremitage, Tournon, Lyon, Cuffy, Mâcon, Pérouges, Nevers, Sagonne, Mehun-sur-Yèvre, Sousmes, Vierzon, Aubigy-sur-Nère, La Chapelle-d'Angillomn, Maupas, Sancerre, Villenauxe-la-Grande, Épernya, and Verviers. In all these contexts, the focus remained on the theme of culture/nature, and thus also on landscape and reserves, urban landscape design, parks, and garden art.

Baltic Sea: Kühlungsborn, Rerik, Bad Domberan

The knowledge gained in France was assessed in a study session on the Baltic Sea coast at the study locations for members of the organization Brazil-Europe in the region of Kühlungsborn.

Benelux countries, Echternach, Clermont, Liège

At the end of October 2025, Liège and its surroundings commemorated European cultural studies that began in the 1970s in cooperation with Belgian scholars. The urban development of Liège as a university city and cultural center was examined. The city's parks and surrounding areas, including Wégimont Castle, were visited, focusing on the relationship between culture and nature.