PRINCE GEORGE —For the first time ever, a UNBC professor has been awarded a UNESCO Chair.
Dr. Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville will focus on preserving cultural heritage.
She says this puts UNBC at the nexus of research in living heritage, sustainable economic pathways, language transmission, and heritage-sourced livelihoods.
“The Chair will unite communities, scholars, and organizations working in cultural heritage across Canada and we aim to share knowledge from different localities and from different languages, including Indigenous languages,” she says.
“The purpose of the Chair is to promote humanity’s cultural richness and exchange knowledge share knowledge between different localities to promote and safeguard living heritages, including languages.”
Students will have the opportunity to get involved by taking courses related to cultural heritage with many of them consisting of experiential learning, field trips and field schools. In addition, there will be internship opportunities at different organizations across Canada, including the First Peoples Cultural Council, the Quebec Council for Living Heritage, Heritage Saskatchewan, and in communities.
“Students who have a passion for cultures, languages, helping communities to promote and protect their cultural heritages – including their own – are welcome to engage with us,” Pawlowska-Mainville says.
