Role
Dr Katharina Massing is a senior lecturer and researcher in Museum and Heritage Studies. She is Module Leader for several modules in the Museum and Heritage Development Masters course: Global Heritage Management, Engaging Local and Global Communities and Sustainable Heritage, Well-being and Place.
Career overview
Before working at NTU Kat completed her PhD in Museum, Gallery and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Finding an ecomuseum ideal for Hainan Province: Encouraging community participation in intangible cultural and natural heritage protection in a rural setting in China, investigated the current ecomuseum development in Hainan Province, China. She also holds a MA in Chinese Studies (major), Chinese Language (minor) and East Asian Art History from Freie Universität in Berlin.
Research areas
Kat is interested in holistic and community-led approaches to safeguarding landscapes and traditional knowledge, as well as sustainable heritage practices, particularly ecomuseums. She teaches and researches ways museums can engage with different communities and communicate anthropogenic changes. She has been part of several international research projects, including in Vietnam, China, and Uzbekistan. She also works with local communities and organizations in the Midlands, such as Southwell and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The project with Birmingham Botanical Gardens aimed to diversify narratives through community and artist engagement.
Kat is interested in supporting postgraduate research towards an PhD in the areas identified above. Further information can be obtained on the NTU Research Degrees website: www.ntu.ac.uk/research/research-degrees-at-ntu
Publications
Massing, K. (2017) ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in an ethnic theme park setting – the case of Binglanggu in Hainan Province, China’. International Journal of Heritage Studies. doi: 10.1080/13527258.2017.1362571.
Massing, K. (2015) ‘Establishing ecomuseums in Hainan Province: challenges and opportunities for community participation in intangible cultural heritage protection’. In Lira, S., Amoêda, R. and Pinheiro, C. (eds) Sharing Cultures 2015: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Intangible Heritage. Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, pp. 477-488.
Corsane, G. and Massing, K. (2015) ‘Establishing Ecomuseums in Hainan Province’. In Corsane, G. and Li, J. (eds) Research of China and UK Cooperative Cases in Cultural Creative Industry. Beijing: China Commerce and Trade Press, pp. 249-272.
Corsane, G. and Massing, K. (2015) ‘From the ‘fragmented’ to the ‘mosaic’ ecomuseum – various forms of shaping ‘territory’ in the different generations of ecomuseums in China’. In Lira, S., Amoêda, R. and Pinheiro, C (eds) Sharing Cultures 2015: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Intangible Heritage. Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, pp. 453-466.
Massing, K. (2013) Review of History of China, by Kai Vogelsang (in German). Politische Bildung, 2, pp. 162-163.
Massing, K. (2012) ‘Protecting the intangible heritage of Hainan Province: could the use of ecomuseum principles help safeguard the intangible heritage of the Li and the Miao minorities?’. In Lira, S., Amoêda, R., Pinheiro, C., Davis, P., Stefano, M., Corsane, G. (eds) Ecomuseums 2012: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Ecomuseums, Community Museums and Living Communities. Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, pp. 225-232.