Science at FSV UK: Romanian researcher Maria Alina Asavei explores how art, religion and memory intersect
Science at FSV UK: Romanian researcher Maria Alina Asavei explores how art, religion and memory intersect
Assoc. Prof. Maria Alina Asavei, a researcher at the Institute of International Studies at FSV UK, has never shied away from complexity. With academic roots in Romania, scholarly development in Budapest and New York, and teaching experiences across Europe and the Middle East, her career is defined by a pursuit of neglected or “marginal” topics – those lying at the intersection of art, politics, religion, and memory.
“While writing my PhD thesis, I knew that my research path would not strictly follow my philosophical formation. However, I focused quite heavily on philosophy of social sciences, hermeneutics, aesthetics, political philosophy and theory,” she says. “Digging up to find lacunas and unexplored and niche topics has become a modus operandi during my entire academic career. I was interested in ‘marginal’ topics and I aimed at making them mainstream,” she adds.
Her research focuses on the intersection among art, politics and religion from a variety of perspectives – i.e. aesthetics, memory studies, area studies, cultural anthropology, political theology, cultural studies or political theory. Asavei’s work draws on her extensive curatorial experience as well. “As a curator I attempt to either re-enact the social theories I study through artistic production or/and to apply the memory studies/cultural theory lens to cultural production from above (renowned artists) and from below – artistically minded individuals and communities who do not possess the epistemic authority to call themselves as art producers,” she says.
