Thoughts inspired by the Salam Seoul Festival

It was with some bemused puzzlement this week past that I read an article in The Korea Times about the Salam Seoul Festival. It was the headline that immediately attracted my heritage studies interest: ‘Hijab, hanbok mixed to create modest fashion’. The hanbok, as we know at least since the Beijing Winter Olympics, is considered … Continue reading Thoughts inspired by the Salam Seoul Festival

Heritage is a personal story

Confession: I have never really understood people’s obsession with researching their family history. This may sound odd coming from someone whose background is in heritage studies. After all, the benefits family researchers describe – a strengthened sense of identity, connection, empathy, even resilience – to this day form the backbone of many national and international … Continue reading Heritage is a personal story

Innovative projects, innovative funding: a reflection

Last week, we had our final project team meeting for our Erasmus + funded project on Third Space. As part of this, we discussed some very interesting points around funding. I’d like to share some of these here alongside my own thinking. Instead of outputs and results: processes and outcomes… We noted the issue around … Continue reading Innovative projects, innovative funding: a reflection

‘Human Remains’, Or: Dignity, communal value and the construction of ‘ancestry’

I was pleasantly surprised to read an article in one of the recent newsletters from the UK Museums Association about a database of ancient ‘human remains’ collated by an organisation called Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD). Dignity I appreciated the reference in the article to HAD’s challenge to the term ‘human remains’. According to this … Continue reading ‘Human Remains’, Or: Dignity, communal value and the construction of ‘ancestry’

Handing over Power, or: Diversity in the Heritage Sector

At the start of November, the UK Art Fund published a report on diversity in the arts and heritage sectors. Specifically, the report reviews the impact of diversity initiatives on curatorial roles since 1998. However, it also makes important observations on how the current structure of museums may stand in the way of diversity – … Continue reading Handing over Power, or: Diversity in the Heritage Sector