Facts and Multivocality: An Oxymoron?

As regular readers of this blog will know, it is my very firm belief that in heritage interpretation we must strive to tell a balanced story. This concept is also known as ‘multivocality’: presenting multiple perspectives on something. When I discussed multivocality in interpretation with my peers in the past, I have sometimes been accused … Continue reading Facts and Multivocality: An Oxymoron? →

#MeTwo: The “Ferguson” moment for German Museums?

#MeTwo was launched on 24th July in Germany, two days after Mesut Özil had announced his retirement from the German National Football Team due to racism. I am wondering if this could be the Ferguson moment for German museums. Why Ferguson? Because Ferguson kicked something loose. On one hand, it shone a light on continued … Continue reading #MeTwo: The “Ferguson” moment for German Museums? →

Is positioning incompatible with agonistic interpretation?

Whenever I have presented on my vision for agonistic interpretation, that is, interpretation that strives to include all relevant views on a heritage aspect, there was at least one person in the room who challenged me: was I really proposing to include all views? Even those that are “objectionable”? What I have never once been … Continue reading Is positioning incompatible with agonistic interpretation? →

The Promised Land, Or: (Re-)Considering Museums Practice for Refugees and Migrants

I am fortunate to be part of a cross-sectoral knowledge exchange project at the moment which looks at practices for working with new arrivals and minority populations [1]. We are five partners in total: two theatre companies (one from Britain, one from Italy), a business consultancy based in France, a university in Turkey and the … Continue reading The Promised Land, Or: (Re-)Considering Museums Practice for Refugees and Migrants →

Heritage as Orientation

Some years ago I read the US American National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (amended 2000). In it, it states that ‘the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people’ (my … Continue reading Heritage as Orientation →

Approaching Interpretive Planning Agonistically

At work, we are getting ready for a major redevelopment of our local history museum. It is a good opportunity to think more about what an agonistic approach to interpretive planning might entail. Most of it is not revolutionary; in one way or another much of this has been or is being discussed if not … Continue reading Approaching Interpretive Planning Agonistically →

Tackling Our (Racist?) Biases

I have recently read Fatima El-Tayeb’s book Undeutsch ('Un-German') [1]. As the book’s subtitle explains, the book looks at the construction of the Other in a post-migrant society [2]. The society in question is Germany, so I was particularly interested in this perspective on the country I have recently returned to. I was … Continue reading Tackling Our (Racist?) Biases →

A Letter to IE Colleagues at the Scotland Conference

I would normally consider it my duty and responsibility to attend the Interpret Europe (IE) conference in Scotland taking place from 3 to 6 October [1]. Since I will not be there, I want to explain my decision in this post [2]. I disagree with the decision to hold IE’s first annual conference after … Continue reading A Letter to IE Colleagues at the Scotland Conference →

Winnetou & I, Or: A Special Kind of German Heritage

Karl May and his creation, the fictional Apache chieftain Winnetou, make a great example of heritage that is built on appropriated selections of the past, not necessarily one’s own and not necessarily historically accurate either, for a purpose that is far removed from the original source. It is an example of heritage as emotional, social … Continue reading Winnetou & I, Or: A Special Kind of German Heritage →