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
Category: Interpretation
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
‘Working professionally’: Thoughts on new museum guidelines
The German Museum Association has recently published guidelines on ‘Working Professionally in a Museum’. The guidelines are intended as a snapshot of current roles in museums. What the guidelines also reveal, however, is a continued imbalance between the focus on collections and museums as institutions for the public. On one hand, the guidelines acknowledge … Continue reading ‘Working professionally’: Thoughts on new museum guidelines
Back to Basics, Or: A few Do’s, and mostly Don’t’s, of Guiding Tours
Since my return to Germany, I have been on many guided tours that have truly made me want to weep with frustration. I’ve had guides who held lengthy monologues; guides who asked not a single question to get to know their audience; guides who talked about things that were nowhere in sight. I could … Continue reading Back to Basics, Or: A few Do’s, and mostly Don’t’s, of Guiding Tours
Review: The Interpret Europe Conference 2019
You know that you’ve been to a fantastic conference when it stays with you for some time afterwards. That is the case with me and the recently ended Interpret Europe conference on ‘Engaging with diversity’. I would like to share some impressions, ranging from the conference location to papers to a General Assembly that has … Continue reading Review: The Interpret Europe Conference 2019
Deep Democracy as Agonistic Interpretive Practice?
Members of staff have recently returned from the last of the training weeks that are part of The Promised Land project on inclusion of refugees and migrants through cultural practice. One of them reported on a method of facilitation that was used throughout the week, which she called ‘Deep Democracy’. She described it as a … Continue reading Deep Democracy as Agonistic Interpretive Practice?
Nicole Deufel's Blog 