Shared Spaces
Civil and Religious Space in Malerkotla
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Colin James Law
This research examines two sites in Malerkotla, India, one civil monument, and one religious shrine. An exploration into the history of the town provides a backdrop for the importance these sites play for the community. The religious site, a shrine to Shaikh Sadruddin, a fifteenth century Muslim Shaikh who founded the town, functions as a place of worship and a gathering place for the community. The civil memorial, the Kuka Martyrs Memorial, built in 1993, serves as a monument to sixty-six Sikhs who were killed by a British deputy commissioner in 1872. I argue that the memorial functions as a civil religious sacred site and unites the town toward a shared history. Both sites transcend individual religious tradition and are visited by people of all faith traditions. The town’s collective memory and emphasis on key historical events play a part in connecting the town’s different religious communities toward a larger shared identity.
Charitable and Civic Culture Embodied in Chinese Calligraphy in Public Venues in Hong Kong
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chak-kwong Lau
This paper examines the broader social and cultural implications of works of Chinese calligraphy that are embedded in charity organizations in Hong Kong. This specific type of calligraphy exists as engraved couplets and tablets, for example, as signs highlighting the cultural, historical significance of charity organizations in Hong Kong. The calligraphic works under examination will be treated as public art, instead of the products on private display in artists’ studios that were examined in conventional art historical researches. In this specific category of calligraphy, matters of aesthetic choice are obviously intermingled with consideration for the various functions of public venues and for the social, cultural, and historical contexts involved. The paper, with its interdisciplinary approach, therefore sheds light on significant aspects of the social and cultural developments that are reflected in these calligraphic works with their specialized formats in their architectural setting.
