A different kind of aim

My organisation is currently in a joint project with a museum. In our funding application, we were very specific about our aim: to engage culturally diverse people with the Roman sites in our area. This is not with a close focus on the sites’ history but rather on people’s own current experiences in the environment … Continue reading A different kind of aim →

People with a background

Imagine the following scene, taking place in Germany: a person walks up to the hotel reception desk. The member of staff looks up and immediately switches to English: “Are you here to check out?” To which the guest responds, in German, “I speak German too.” And then they add, “In fact, I am German.” This … Continue reading People with a background →

Violence.

I was going to write about something else this week. And then the reversal of Roe vs. Wade in the United States was announced and in its wake, several states passed legislation banning abortion. I cannot ignore this here. I’ve studied in the United States and I lived there for many years. I often look … Continue reading Violence. →

Visiting the Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg

Ever since reading Sharon MacDonald’s work on the Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg I have wanted to visit the site myself [1]. The grounds are of course the ultimate example of, as MacDonald calls it, ‘difficult heritage’. In her 2009 book of the same title, MacDonald gives a very interesting account of the City … Continue reading Visiting the Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg →

Negotiating Identities

My organisation is currently leading on an Erasmus Plus Strategic Partnership dedicated to the Third Space, and more specifically, to negotiating (European) identities therein [1]. The project is in its final year, and while we’ve really moved forward a lot in our understanding of the Third Space, we’ve spent far less time talking about the … Continue reading Negotiating Identities →

Reboot.

I’ve taken a rather long break from this blog. Now it is time to restart. However, the scope of this blog will widen. It will become clear why, and how, once I’ve set out where I’m currently at in my experiences and my interests. It’s been two years and eight months since I left the … Continue reading Reboot. →

Lessons from a debate on the National Trust

On 11th November 2020, there was a short debate in the UK House of Commons on the future of the National Trust in England and Wales. It is worth analysing in particular the contributions of the debate’s initiator. They make for a textbook lesson on history vs. heritage, the power structures of hegemonies, and why … Continue reading Lessons from a debate on the National Trust →

Personal reflections on home, heritage and Heimat

Just over a year ago, I moved back to the south of Germany, and specifically the Swabian Alps, where I was born and grew up. One unexpected aspect of this has been my awareness of the landscape and culture here, and their impact on my experience of home, heritage and Heimat. Home I haven’t lived … Continue reading Personal reflections on home, heritage and Heimat →

Imagining Museums in 2030

A local project invited me to write an article on culture for an imaginary newspaper in 2030. It got me thinking about what I hope (German) museums will be like then [1]. Here are my thoughts. In 2030, as soon as I step through the doors of a museum, it is clear that this … Continue reading Imagining Museums in 2030 →

Agonistic (Third) Spaces: Now more important than ever

Last week I came out of my personal, Corona pandemic-induced paralysis by presenting a paper at the Interpret Europe web conference. My topic was agonistic (third) spaces, and in preparing the presentation, I felt that creating such spaces is now more important than perhaps ever before. I have already blogged about agonistic interpretation and … Continue reading Agonistic (Third) Spaces: Now more important than ever →