Clara Rellensmann

Dr. Clara Rellensmann is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Teaching Associate at the Institute for Building History and Monument Preservation (IBK) at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. She is affiliated with the DFG Research Training Group 1913 on Cultural and Technological Significance of Historic Buildings. Her research focuses on the contested reconstruction of Bagan’s Buddhist monuments by Myanmar’s military regime (1995–2012), analyzing their impact on cultural heritage, national identity, and World Heritage considerations. Collaborating with Carleton University’s Heritage Engineering Program, her work bridges archaeology, architectural history, and political studies.

Education: She completed her PhD in 2022 under the supervision of Prof. em. Dr. Leo Schmidt, with a dissertation titled Appropriating sacred spaces. Teaching: She contributes to courses on architectural conservation and historic building analysis. Labs/Teams: Active in the IBK and UBICO Cultural Heritage Centre. Future Work: Expanding research on Southeast Asian heritage dynamics and postcolonial reconstruction debates.