Bas Lafleur (Snelders) - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Bas Lafleur (Snelders)

Research paper thumbnail of Identity and Christian-Muslim Interaction: Medieval Art of the Syrian Orthodox from the Mosul Area

Peeters: Leuven, 2010

As elsewhere in the Middle East, the Mosul area witnessed a flourishing of Christian art during t... more As elsewhere in the Middle East, the Mosul area witnessed a flourishing of Christian art during the thirteenth century. Discussing both art-historical and written sources, this book examines the role of art in expressing the identity of Mosul’s Syrian Orthodox community, and explores the relationship between Christian and Islamic art. Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East during the medieval period have often been seen in terms of conflict and violent opposition, a presumed dichotomy which focuses almost exclusively on theological differences and fails to take account of the social complexities of daily life. The present study challenges these simplistic views of division along religious lines, seeing the boundaries between the Christian and Muslim communities as areas of intermingling rather than separation. A detailed comparative analysis between Christian and Islamic art provides a far more nuanced picture of extensive cultural interaction, in which the Christians were fully integrated into their environment while still retaining their own exclusive religious and communal identit

Edited Books by Bas Lafleur (Snelders)

Research paper thumbnail of Courageous Citizens: How Culture Contributes to Social Change

Valiz and ECF: Amsterdam , 2018

Over the past decades, the cultural and political map of Europe and the world has changed rapidly... more Over the past decades, the cultural and political map of Europe and the world has changed rapidly. Developments such as the changing status of the European Union, migration, and th wider repercussions of globalization have posed numerous social and political challenges. Instead of recognizing and valuing these challenges, there is a growing tendency to retreat into fixed ideas of culture and cultural divides. This book celebrates the capacity of individuals and small groups to contribute to social change through culture and art. It is a source of inspiration for renegotiating our understanding of the world and affirming culture as a critical space to practive courage and perseverance amid complex societal reconfigurations.
Courageous Citizens focuses on those whose daring, sharing, and inventing contribute to our collective future, and for whom cultura and democracy are the starting points for vision and action. The cycle of (re-)thinking, doing, and changing that is inherent in remodelling the way we view the world and concurrently the potential of culture to contribute to positive social change is addressed through three key themes:
I - Diversity and Equality;
II - Communities and Democracy;
III - Fragmentation and Solidarity.
Courageous Citizens is published on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture (PMA), an annual award acknowledging and amplifying the work of individuals and collectives whose creative work can truly make a difference in Europe’s societies.

Research paper thumbnail of Remappings: The Making of European Narratives

European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam (2012)

Papers by Bas Lafleur (Snelders)

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Page 1. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden,  DOI: 10.1163/187124109X407989 CHRC .-Church Histo... more Page 1. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden,  DOI: 10.1163/187124109X407989 CHRC .-Church History and Religious Culture www.brill.nl/chrc The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Thirteenth Century Flabellum from Deir al-Surian in the Musée Royal de Mariemont (Morlanwelz)

Eastern Christian Art, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of The Thirteenth Century Flabellum from Deir al-Surian in the Musée Royal de Mariemont (Morlanwelz

Eastern Christian Art, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Church History and Religious Culture 89.1-3 = Bas ter Haar Romeny (ed.), Religious Origins of Nations? The Christian Communities of the Middle East (Leiden: Brill, 2010), 2009

Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Chr... more Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Christians were probably least likely to form a national or ethnic community. Yet a group emerged with its own distinctive literature and art, its own network, and historical consciousness. In an intricate process of adoption and rejection, the West Syrians selected elements from the cultures to which they were heirs, and from those with which they came into contact, thus defining a position of their own. In order to study this phenomenon, scholars from various disciplines, and affiliated to two different faculties, were brought together in a programme financed by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO. This essay introduces their research project and methodology, and presents their results and conclusions.

Research paper thumbnail of From Cyprus to Syria and Back Again: Artistic Interaction in the Medieval Levant

Eastern Christian Art 9 (2012-2013)

Research paper thumbnail of A Newly Discovered Wall Painting in the Church of Mar Giworgis in Qaraqosh, Iraq

Eastern Christian Art 4 (2007), 27-48.

Research paper thumbnail of Guarding the Entrances: Equestrian Saints in Egypt and North Mesopotamia

Eastern Christian Art 3 (2006), 105-142.

Research paper thumbnail of Workshop Practices and Iconography. The Traditio Legis on Early Christian Sarcophagi

Antiquité Tardive 13 (2005), 321-333

Chapters in Books by Bas Lafleur (Snelders)

Research paper thumbnail of Church Embellishment in Egypt, Syria, and Cyprus: Patronage and Identity

Art and Material Culture in the Byzantine and Islamic Worlds: Studies in Honour of Erica Cruikshank Dodd, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of “Art, Knowledge, and Politics” Vasyl Cherepanyn in conversation with Wietske Maas

Courageous Citizens, 2018

Conversation ‘Art, Knowledge, and Politics’ with Vasyl Cherepanyn, Director of the Visual Culture... more Conversation ‘Art, Knowledge, and Politics’ with Vasyl Cherepanyn, Director of the Visual Culture Research Centre (VCRC) in Kiev, Ukraine. With him we talked about topics such as politicized culture and political subjectivity; identity and citizenship; learning and knowledge with and through visual culture. The centre was founded in 2008 as a platform for collaboration among academics, artists, and activists, initially emerging from the Department of Cultural Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In this time of political turmoil in Ukraine, VCRC provides a much-needed meeting ground for social activism and progressive artistic and discursive programming that is making a remarkable contribution to sustaining cultural and political debate across Ukraine and the region.

Research paper thumbnail of Deir Mar Behnam: the Destruction of Iraq's Christian Heritage

Nineveh, The Great City: Symbol of Beauty and Power. Papers on Archaeology of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities, 2017

Published by Sidestone Press, Leiden www.sidestone.com Imprint: Sidestone Press Lay-out & cover d... more Published by Sidestone Press, Leiden www.sidestone.com Imprint: Sidestone Press Lay-out & cover design: Sidestone Press Photograph cover: Detail of a relief showing King Ashurbanipal on a horse. Nineveh, Iraq; N Palace, Room S; 645-635 BC; gypsum; H 165.1 cm, W 116.8 cm; British Museum, London (1856,0909.48/BM 124874). © The Trustees of the British Museum. ISBN 978-90-8890-496-7 (softcover) ISBN 978-90-8890-497-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-90-8890-498-1 (PDF e-book)

Research paper thumbnail of L'art et L'architecture syro-orthodoxe en Mésopotamie du nord (VIIe -XIIIe siècles)

Christian Art under Muslim Rule, 2016

L'art chrétien médiéval du Moyen-Orient a attiré une attention toujours croissante de la part du ... more L'art chrétien médiéval du Moyen-Orient a attiré une attention toujours croissante de la part du monde universitaire au cours des deux dernières décennies. Au-delà du domaine de l'histoire de l'art, cependant, l'art chrétien d'Orient reste un domaine de recherche largement inexploité. Il n'est quasiment jamais utilisé comme source dans les cultural studies. Les études portant sur l'histoire sociale et culturelle des communautés chrétiennes orientales se sont presque exclusivement concentrées sur les sources écrites, en particulier sur les textes qui ont été produits dans les cercles monastiques pour un lectorat ecclésiastique. Ces sources ne nous donnent qu'une image très partielle du développement et des attitudes d'une communauté. Les oeuvres d'art et l'architecture restent encore largement négligés. Pourtant, en tant qu'élément de la vie quotidienne, elles révèlent souvent des points de contacts qui n'ont jamais été jugés suffisamment importants pour être consignés dans les registres officiels. Ces sources peuvent même conduire à dresser une image en contradiction flagrante avec celle que les plus hautes autorités ecclésiastiques souhaitaient véhiculer. C'est en cela que l'étude des sources matérielles apparaît essentielle lorsque l'on cherche à élaborer une image globale et équilibrée du développement social et culturel des communautés chrétiennes d'Orient, ainsi que de leurs relations avec les groupes environnants. Cet article marque le début d'un nouveau projet de recherche interdisciplinaire sur l'histoire sociale et culturelle de la communauté syro-orthodoxe sous domination musulmane. Il se donne pour but de dresser une première vue d'ensemble de l'art et de l'architecture des chrétiens syro-orthodoxes du nord de la Mésopotamie, dans une période approximativement comprise entre 640 et 1300 après Jésus-Christ.

Research paper thumbnail of Art et hagiographie: la construction d'une communauté à Mar Behnam

L'Hagiographie syriaque. Études syriaques, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of The Making of European Narratives: Connecting the Threads

Odile Chenal and Bas Snelders, Remappings: The Making of European Narratives, European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam 2012, 29-38

Research paper thumbnail of A Mixed Company of Syriens, Saracens and Greeks. Artistic Interaction in Middle Eastern Christian Art

D. Knipp (ed.) 2011, Siculo-Arabic Ivories and Islamic Painting, München, 223-253.

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Church History and Religious Culture 89.1-3 = Bas ter Haar Romeny (ed.), Religious Origins of Nations? The Christian Communities of the Middle East (Leiden: Brill, 2009)

Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Chr... more Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Christians were probably least likely to form a national or ethnic community. Yet a group emerged with its own distinctive literature and art, its own network, and historical consciousness. In an intricate process of adoption and rejection, the West Syrians selected elements from the cultures to which they were heirs, and from those with which they came into contact, thus defining a position of their own. In order to study this phenomenon, scholars from various disciplines, and affiliated to two different faculties, were brought together in a programme financed by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This essay introduces their research project and methodology, and presents their results and conclusions.

Book Reviews by Bas Lafleur (Snelders)

Research paper thumbnail of Sara Kuehn, The Dragon in Medieval East Christian and Islamic Art. Brill: Leiden/Boston, 2011.

Eastern Christian Art 9 (2012-2013)

Research paper thumbnail of Identity and Christian-Muslim Interaction: Medieval Art of the Syrian Orthodox from the Mosul Area

Peeters: Leuven, 2010

As elsewhere in the Middle East, the Mosul area witnessed a flourishing of Christian art during t... more As elsewhere in the Middle East, the Mosul area witnessed a flourishing of Christian art during the thirteenth century. Discussing both art-historical and written sources, this book examines the role of art in expressing the identity of Mosul’s Syrian Orthodox community, and explores the relationship between Christian and Islamic art. Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East during the medieval period have often been seen in terms of conflict and violent opposition, a presumed dichotomy which focuses almost exclusively on theological differences and fails to take account of the social complexities of daily life. The present study challenges these simplistic views of division along religious lines, seeing the boundaries between the Christian and Muslim communities as areas of intermingling rather than separation. A detailed comparative analysis between Christian and Islamic art provides a far more nuanced picture of extensive cultural interaction, in which the Christians were fully integrated into their environment while still retaining their own exclusive religious and communal identit

Research paper thumbnail of Courageous Citizens: How Culture Contributes to Social Change

Valiz and ECF: Amsterdam , 2018

Over the past decades, the cultural and political map of Europe and the world has changed rapidly... more Over the past decades, the cultural and political map of Europe and the world has changed rapidly. Developments such as the changing status of the European Union, migration, and th wider repercussions of globalization have posed numerous social and political challenges. Instead of recognizing and valuing these challenges, there is a growing tendency to retreat into fixed ideas of culture and cultural divides. This book celebrates the capacity of individuals and small groups to contribute to social change through culture and art. It is a source of inspiration for renegotiating our understanding of the world and affirming culture as a critical space to practive courage and perseverance amid complex societal reconfigurations.
Courageous Citizens focuses on those whose daring, sharing, and inventing contribute to our collective future, and for whom cultura and democracy are the starting points for vision and action. The cycle of (re-)thinking, doing, and changing that is inherent in remodelling the way we view the world and concurrently the potential of culture to contribute to positive social change is addressed through three key themes:
I - Diversity and Equality;
II - Communities and Democracy;
III - Fragmentation and Solidarity.
Courageous Citizens is published on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture (PMA), an annual award acknowledging and amplifying the work of individuals and collectives whose creative work can truly make a difference in Europe’s societies.

Research paper thumbnail of Remappings: The Making of European Narratives

European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam (2012)

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Page 1. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden,  DOI: 10.1163/187124109X407989 CHRC .-Church Histo... more Page 1. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden,  DOI: 10.1163/187124109X407989 CHRC .-Church History and Religious Culture www.brill.nl/chrc The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Thirteenth Century Flabellum from Deir al-Surian in the Musée Royal de Mariemont (Morlanwelz)

Eastern Christian Art, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of The Thirteenth Century Flabellum from Deir al-Surian in the Musée Royal de Mariemont (Morlanwelz

Eastern Christian Art, 2004

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Church History and Religious Culture 89.1-3 = Bas ter Haar Romeny (ed.), Religious Origins of Nations? The Christian Communities of the Middle East (Leiden: Brill, 2010), 2009

Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Chr... more Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Christians were probably least likely to form a national or ethnic community. Yet a group emerged with its own distinctive literature and art, its own network, and historical consciousness. In an intricate process of adoption and rejection, the West Syrians selected elements from the cultures to which they were heirs, and from those with which they came into contact, thus defining a position of their own. In order to study this phenomenon, scholars from various disciplines, and affiliated to two different faculties, were brought together in a programme financed by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO. This essay introduces their research project and methodology, and presents their results and conclusions.

Research paper thumbnail of From Cyprus to Syria and Back Again: Artistic Interaction in the Medieval Levant

Eastern Christian Art 9 (2012-2013)

Research paper thumbnail of A Newly Discovered Wall Painting in the Church of Mar Giworgis in Qaraqosh, Iraq

Eastern Christian Art 4 (2007), 27-48.

Research paper thumbnail of Guarding the Entrances: Equestrian Saints in Egypt and North Mesopotamia

Eastern Christian Art 3 (2006), 105-142.

Research paper thumbnail of Workshop Practices and Iconography. The Traditio Legis on Early Christian Sarcophagi

Antiquité Tardive 13 (2005), 321-333

Research paper thumbnail of Church Embellishment in Egypt, Syria, and Cyprus: Patronage and Identity

Art and Material Culture in the Byzantine and Islamic Worlds: Studies in Honour of Erica Cruikshank Dodd, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of “Art, Knowledge, and Politics” Vasyl Cherepanyn in conversation with Wietske Maas

Courageous Citizens, 2018

Conversation ‘Art, Knowledge, and Politics’ with Vasyl Cherepanyn, Director of the Visual Culture... more Conversation ‘Art, Knowledge, and Politics’ with Vasyl Cherepanyn, Director of the Visual Culture Research Centre (VCRC) in Kiev, Ukraine. With him we talked about topics such as politicized culture and political subjectivity; identity and citizenship; learning and knowledge with and through visual culture. The centre was founded in 2008 as a platform for collaboration among academics, artists, and activists, initially emerging from the Department of Cultural Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In this time of political turmoil in Ukraine, VCRC provides a much-needed meeting ground for social activism and progressive artistic and discursive programming that is making a remarkable contribution to sustaining cultural and political debate across Ukraine and the region.

Research paper thumbnail of Deir Mar Behnam: the Destruction of Iraq's Christian Heritage

Nineveh, The Great City: Symbol of Beauty and Power. Papers on Archaeology of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities, 2017

Published by Sidestone Press, Leiden www.sidestone.com Imprint: Sidestone Press Lay-out & cover d... more Published by Sidestone Press, Leiden www.sidestone.com Imprint: Sidestone Press Lay-out & cover design: Sidestone Press Photograph cover: Detail of a relief showing King Ashurbanipal on a horse. Nineveh, Iraq; N Palace, Room S; 645-635 BC; gypsum; H 165.1 cm, W 116.8 cm; British Museum, London (1856,0909.48/BM 124874). © The Trustees of the British Museum. ISBN 978-90-8890-496-7 (softcover) ISBN 978-90-8890-497-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-90-8890-498-1 (PDF e-book)

Research paper thumbnail of L'art et L'architecture syro-orthodoxe en Mésopotamie du nord (VIIe -XIIIe siècles)

Christian Art under Muslim Rule, 2016

L'art chrétien médiéval du Moyen-Orient a attiré une attention toujours croissante de la part du ... more L'art chrétien médiéval du Moyen-Orient a attiré une attention toujours croissante de la part du monde universitaire au cours des deux dernières décennies. Au-delà du domaine de l'histoire de l'art, cependant, l'art chrétien d'Orient reste un domaine de recherche largement inexploité. Il n'est quasiment jamais utilisé comme source dans les cultural studies. Les études portant sur l'histoire sociale et culturelle des communautés chrétiennes orientales se sont presque exclusivement concentrées sur les sources écrites, en particulier sur les textes qui ont été produits dans les cercles monastiques pour un lectorat ecclésiastique. Ces sources ne nous donnent qu'une image très partielle du développement et des attitudes d'une communauté. Les oeuvres d'art et l'architecture restent encore largement négligés. Pourtant, en tant qu'élément de la vie quotidienne, elles révèlent souvent des points de contacts qui n'ont jamais été jugés suffisamment importants pour être consignés dans les registres officiels. Ces sources peuvent même conduire à dresser une image en contradiction flagrante avec celle que les plus hautes autorités ecclésiastiques souhaitaient véhiculer. C'est en cela que l'étude des sources matérielles apparaît essentielle lorsque l'on cherche à élaborer une image globale et équilibrée du développement social et culturel des communautés chrétiennes d'Orient, ainsi que de leurs relations avec les groupes environnants. Cet article marque le début d'un nouveau projet de recherche interdisciplinaire sur l'histoire sociale et culturelle de la communauté syro-orthodoxe sous domination musulmane. Il se donne pour but de dresser une première vue d'ensemble de l'art et de l'architecture des chrétiens syro-orthodoxes du nord de la Mésopotamie, dans une période approximativement comprise entre 640 et 1300 après Jésus-Christ.

Research paper thumbnail of Art et hagiographie: la construction d'une communauté à Mar Behnam

L'Hagiographie syriaque. Études syriaques, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of The Making of European Narratives: Connecting the Threads

Odile Chenal and Bas Snelders, Remappings: The Making of European Narratives, European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam 2012, 29-38

Research paper thumbnail of A Mixed Company of Syriens, Saracens and Greeks. Artistic Interaction in Middle Eastern Christian Art

D. Knipp (ed.) 2011, Siculo-Arabic Ivories and Islamic Painting, München, 223-253.

Research paper thumbnail of The Formation of a Communal Identity among West Syrian Christians: Results and Conclusions of the Leiden Project

Church History and Religious Culture 89.1-3 = Bas ter Haar Romeny (ed.), Religious Origins of Nations? The Christian Communities of the Middle East (Leiden: Brill, 2009)

Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Chr... more Among those who opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the West Syrian (or Syriac Orthodox) Christians were probably least likely to form a national or ethnic community. Yet a group emerged with its own distinctive literature and art, its own network, and historical consciousness. In an intricate process of adoption and rejection, the West Syrians selected elements from the cultures to which they were heirs, and from those with which they came into contact, thus defining a position of their own. In order to study this phenomenon, scholars from various disciplines, and affiliated to two different faculties, were brought together in a programme financed by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This essay introduces their research project and methodology, and presents their results and conclusions.