Kim Eileen Ruf

In 2015, I graduated from Durham University with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Archaeology. Specialising in landscape archaeology and the application of Corona satellite imagery, my undergraduate thesis thematised the shifting frontier separating the Roman and Sasanian Empires. I then completed my Master of Arts in Archaeology at Leiden University in 2016, where I investigated reuse in Maya monumental architecture of pre-and post-colonial Yucatán in relation to heritage formation within local indigenous communities.

In my PhD dissertation I analyse heritage formation through private (re)use of historic buildings. I aim to identify how individuals living in heritage buildings attach value to them, and how this compares with the valuation from an official perspective. Furthermore, I evaluate the impact of architectural transformations on the perception of heritage architecture, both from an authorised and private standpoint. This research will then provide a basis for discussing the ever-changing nature and value of domestic heritage architecture and whether this is reflected upon within the authorised discourse. It introduces a new area of research, addressing how people engage with domestic heritage architecture in the everyday. Whilst we have a clear understanding of the significance of authorised, official heritage (e.g. monuments, archaeological sites, museums and similar heritage structures), the value of living heritage in the form of residential architecture is not as well-defined.

I am also an Associated Researcher at the Centre for Global Heritage and Development (https://www.globalheritage.nl), involved in the programs Heritage & Identity and Heritage & Environment.