The workshop Narrating Highland Heritages of Bhutan, held at Leiden University on 30 September 2025, brings together researchers to share early findings from the project Perpetuating Highland Heritages of Bhutan. The focus lies on both tangible and intangible heritage in Bhutan’s highland regions, especially areas above 4,000 meters. This includes sacred ruins, shrines, and ecological formations, as well as oral traditions, rituals, and yak-herding practices. A central aim of the project is to explore the idea of “highland vernacular heritage,” which is understood as a form of heritage that is orally transmitted, deeply entwined with the natural environment, and shaped by relationships with plants, animals, and spiritual beings—a more-than-human landscape.
During the workshop, fieldwork findings from the Haa district will be presented through talks and visual materials such as videos, offering participants a sense of both the cultural lifeways and the physical landscapes under study. The event also emphasizes collaboration with local communities and governmental stakeholders in Bhutan, highlighting challenges such as depopulation, climate change, and the deterioration of heritage sites.
The workshop runs from 9:30 to 14:00, including an informal lunch, and is hosted in a hybrid format at Leiden University’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Organised in collaboration with the Himalayan Centre for Environmental Humanities at Royal Thimphu College and funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the event invites participants not only to learn about the project but also to provide feedback on its early outcomes.
Register for the workshop here.