ULB Research ⤶	Description of the Unit	Projects of the Unit	Composition
Collaborations of the Unit	Protected technologies	Publications	Skills

Culture, Heritage and Society

UNESCO describes culture ''as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group. It encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.'' At the ULB, a large number of researchers are exploring these multiple breeding grounds of mankind, with interest focused on such top-notch archaeological sites as Apamea in Syria, the Bibracte oppidum in France, the Theban necropolis in Egypt or the Pachacamac site in Peru. Historians, philosophers, anthropologists, political scientists and linguists are studying the history of ideas, customs and societies, from antiquity to the present day. In addition to the West, the ULB is actively developing research into African and Asian civilisations. ULB has at its disposal outstanding expertise in the history of religions and secularism, gained through a multidisciplinary approach. In the field of philosophy, much of ULB research focuses on epistemological, bioethical and political dimensions. The arts - literature, visual arts, music, theatre arts, film, cartoons - are at the heart of a number of ULB research projects, focusing in particular on the European area and the specific features of Belgium, the Mediterranean and North America. In the field of languages (theoretical and applied linguistics, syntax and semantics, rhetoric and argumentation, etc.), various research models are looking at both plain language and more specific language forms. Last but not least, in terms of its local roots, the ULB is acknowledged for its research focus on Brussels and the city's history, heritage and identity.

Social Challenges and Sustainable Development

Jobs, migration, integration, work-related burn-out, same-sex marriages, patchwork families, surrogate mothers, the moralisation of capitalism, the protection of minorities, urban mobility, social networks, access to education and healthcare, etc. - the challenges facing our societies are countless and the subject of a lot of work done by our research teams. Over the years, the ULB has built up considerable expertise in the fields of integration and discrimination, with our researchers trying, for example, to better understand - in view of combating them - the causes and mechanisms of discrimination, whether at school or at work, whether ethnic, social, religious or sexual. There are special focuses on schools, work, finding a job, ergonomics, stress management, as well as the evolution of certain occupations and skills in the face of technological developments. These efforts also go hand-in-hand with research in the teaching field. This research includes more specific studies into issues facing cities, and Brussels in particular, and covers such questions as demographics, urban redevelopment, mobility, police and security, public health, urban architecture, etc. A number of multidisciplinary studies similarly address issues involving gender and minorities - studies which also involve questioning universities themselves and the practices exercised there. Sustainable development and, more generally, environmental issues, are the subject of specific research at the ULB, often conducted in a multidisciplinary spirit linking up humanities with other more ''technical'' disciplines. Finally, our research teams are working on a series of ethical and bioethical issues: how to accompany the dying? Should research on embryos be allowed? Do values have a place in a company? How should we go about managing risks (health and nuclear risks, terrorism, etc.) and applying the ''principle of precaution''?