Proceedings of the project

This project, which involves the digitalization of the Forum der Völker German Museum’s modest collection of Gandharan artifacts, is a component of the Lehrforschungsprojekt course titled “Buddhist Art of Gandhara and the Reception of Buddhist Heritage in Pakistan History, Documentation, Preservation.” The course transpired during the summer term of 2023 at Ruhr University Bochum.

As a student of religious studies at CERES (Center for Religious Studies), under the guidance of Prof. Jessie Pons and Prof. Frederik Elwert, I took part in this course. While I had a keen interest in South Asian studies at CERES, my priorly exposure to the technological aspects addressed in this course was limited. Nevertheless, I approached the course with curiosity, eager to discover what it would offer.

Meetings

At the beginning of the semester in April, our first meeting took place in a comfortable setting with only five students, both bachelor’s and master’s, along with our two professors. We decided on four-hour meetings, not scheduled every week but intermittently, providing sufficient time to work on assignments between sessions. There was a considerate adjustment to the meeting schedule to accommodate my participation in another crucial course for my bachelors degree.

Throughout our meetings, we explored various topics. With Prof. Pons, our focus was on the region of Gandhara, delving into its cultural history, Buddhism, religions, and Buddhist art—a particularly enlightening experience for me, given my prior limited exposure to this subject. We also discussed contemporary museum practices in handling their Buddhist heritage. The DiGA project at CERES, led by Prof. Pons and Prof. Elwert, also was introduced, providing valuable insights into the potential structure of our project and inspiring further exploration into Gandhara.

Sessions with Prof. Elwert delved into the technological aspects of our collection. Given that our task involved photographing objects, digitizing them, and creating a website, Prof. Elwert’s recorded class during my absence proved immensely helpful for later stages of the project.

We discussed various aspects of organizing our collection, creating and managing metadata, and dedicated a session to reviewing drafts of our own collections, providing constructive feedback for improvement. In conclusion, I found our meetings to be well-organized by our professors, and consistently intriguing and interesting.

Finding my own project

Selecting a project was a crucial part of the course, and I initially encountered challenges in finding the right fit. While the project idea I had, revolving around Buddhist objects and statues in profane settings in Bochum, wasn’t inherently flawed, it didn’t align well with my deepening interest in Buddhism, its history, and the discussions we had about Gandhara.

Despite the flexibility that our projects didn’t necessarily have to be directly tied to Gandhara or Buddhism, I felt a need to focus more closely on these subjects. My initial idea, although generally interesting, didn’t resonate with my evolving academic interests. I sought a project that would allow for a more direct engagement with Buddhism and its history, especially given the fascinating context of our discussions about Gandhara.

Another hurdle was my divided attention across different courses during the semester, which contributed to delays in finalizing to find a proper project. However, in early June, Prof. Pons informed me about a lecture taking place upstairs that seemed aligned with my interests. The lecture discussed a project at the museum in Werl focused on Provenienceforschung (provenance research), with a specific emphasis on objects from Gandhara (that which was already mentioned earlier). This piqued my interest, prompting me to approach the responsible individuals at the museum to explore the possibility of making this the focus of my project. Once confirmed, I was pleased with this choice as it offered an opportunity to delve into the controversial missionary collection while exploring the rich history of Gandhara and Buddhism.

Visiting the museum

In September, I had the opportunity to visit the museum in person to examine and photograph the Gandharan objects I had been researching. The museum is currently closed to the public, but I was fortunate to join a group of researchers from the CERES Institute, who were granted access for some hours.

Upon entering, the museum presented the expected atmosphere of a space that had been closed for an extended period – the entrance hall was dimly lit, and the museum shop, though housing interesting items, was closed. I had the chance to explore the collection of Gandharan objects on my own, and, as discussed in earlier sections, I began to observe how the placement of these objects seemed a little disconnected from the overall collection and the information provided about Buddhism. The museum also appeared somewhat outdated, indicative of its prolonged closure. Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised by the museum’s overall appeal. The exhibition space had sufficent and comfortable lighting, creating a welcoming atmosphere surrounded by diverse objects.

While I was aware that the Gandharan collection was modest in size, seeing it in person highlighted its compact nature. Nonetheless, I enjoyed witnessing the objects firsthand and appreciating their presentation in the museum. Some challenges arose in capturing photographs due to the glass barriers, but overall, the process was manageable and went quick.

I also explored the broader area of the museum, which predominantly featured East Asian artifacts, gathering additional insights for the preceding chapters. Afterward, I wandered through the unrelated sections of the exhibition to gain a comprehensive impression of the museum. The diverse collection, including a genuine mummy, added to the overall intrigue. Upon leaving through the dimly lit entrance, with its labyrinthine corridors leading to various rooms, I found the visit to be peculiar but undeniably fascinating.

Creating the website

Dealing with the digital aspect of this course proved to be quite a challenge for me. The use of GitHub to create our own websites for presenting collections in a blog format was an entirely new endeavor. Unfortunately, I missed the sessions where Prof. Elwert introduced this process. Thanks to the recorded video, I was able to catch up and understand the essential steps. I must admit that without this video guide, I might have found the task too overwhelming.

After watching the four-hour tutorial once and revisiting it to follow the steps, I invested around 10 hours in attempting to build the website. Faced with persistent challenges and growing frustration, I eventually decided to shift my focus to gathering more information for the blog entry, hoping to rekindle motivation.

In all honesty, the task wasn’t inherently difficult; it was my unfamiliarity with the topic that led to numerous small mistakes, causing the website-building process to fail repeatedly. Over time, I became more accustomed to the process, learning from my errors and eventually finding enjoyment in the experience. Prof. Elwert addressed a minor mistake during our last course meeting, and with that correction, my website was finally built. Being able to visualize it motivated me to explore additional features, such as selecting images and adjusting configurations to stylize my website – a process that, while challenging, turned out to be enjoyable.

In conclusion, this aspect of the project, despite being entirely new and initially challenging, ultimately became a valuable learning experience. I appreciate that it was a part of the project and that I was able to work through and overcome the difficulties.

Finding information

In the standard manner of a research project, I undertook an exploration of the various facets discussed in the preceding chapters, encompassing Buddhism, Gandhara, and the Werl Museum. I was fortunate to receive a generous selection of books from Prof. Pons covering Buddhism in Gandhara, Buddhist art in Gandhara, and materials about the Werl Museum’s collection. These resources were not only informative but also immensely valuable in shaping my understanding. Additionally, I delved into numerous essays concerning decolonization, colonial museums, and missionary activities.

However, challenges arose when seeking specific information about the Franciscan Monks in Germany, particularly their missions abroad. Despite having the names of the main contributing monks to the museum, my efforts to gather more information were hampered by the unavailability of the museum’s archive, as previously mentioned.

Similarly, while Ernst Majonica might not be a widely recognized politician of our era anymore, I discovered a substantial amount of literature about him. Unfortunately, there was a notable gap in information regarding his travels and collecting activities in Pakistan. Despite stumbling upon an 800-page diary of his, it primarily covered his journeys to East Asia and not South Asia.

Faced with limited information on certain aspects of the project, I made a dedicated effort to gather as much relevant data as possible. Despite these challenges, the research process turned out to be enjoyable, and I found great satisfaction in exploring topics such as Buddhism, Gandhara, the museum, and decolonization.