At first glance, activism in museums sounds like just the agency we need to have an impact. But I wonder if this notion actually leads us down a rather exclusive path.
Category: Philosophy
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
The Discriminatory Practice of Heritage?
At the end of August, I participated in the fantastic Association of Critical Heritage Studies’ 2020 Futures online conference. There were many interesting papers but the one that really stuck with me was on Reconstruction, Spatial Reclamation and Restorative Justice by Prof. Erica Avrami of Columbia University. Prof. Avrami referred to the 2018 Warsaw Recommendation … Continue reading The Discriminatory Practice of Heritage?
Our Shared Heritage?
I have recently read ‘[Eure] Heimat ist [unser] Albtraum’, a book on the concept of Heimat, or heritage [1] with essays by writers with ‘a migrant background’, as the classification in German has it. It raises many points that we in the heritage and culture sectors must engage with even more than we have done … Continue reading Our Shared Heritage?
Good-bye heritage? Reflections on changing sectors
Next week, I will take up a new post and in doing so, I will formally be leaving the heritage and museum sectors that I have worked in over the past years. From now on, I will be working in the further education and socio-cultural sector. I will admit that when I first read the … Continue reading Good-bye heritage? Reflections on changing sectors
A Culture War? Observations on the Situation in Oldenburg
I have never been in a situation before where my qualifications and experience as a museum and heritage professional were publicly denied, my work dismissed and my character vilified. I find myself in such a situation now. I have no interest in spending time on defending myself against newspaper articles that do not even pretend … Continue reading A Culture War? Observations on the Situation in Oldenburg
A Manifesto Against Museums as ‘high culture’
The Promised Land project that I have been writing about on this blog on several occasions is nearing its conclusion. We are now finalising the ebook that captures our experiences, and for this, I have recently written a statement from the point of view of us as the German museum partner in the project. The … Continue reading A Manifesto Against Museums as ‘high culture’
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
Interpreting Authenticity
I am currently coordinating two working groups, one on authenticity and one on inclusivity, for ICOMOS ICIP [1] and Interpret Europe [2]. To be truthful, I thought I would most enjoy the discussion on inclusivity. As it turns out, it is the conversations that we are having around the concept of authenticity that I personally … Continue reading Interpreting Authenticity
The Cultural Sector: Will Hybris Lead to Our Fall?
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about ‘culture’ on one hand, and ‘the cultural sector’ on the other. The two are not the same, although many in the cultural sector seem inclined to claim they are. I am going to call that hybris. And I wonder if such hybris will cause – and may … Continue reading The Cultural Sector: Will Hybris Lead to Our Fall?
Nicole Deufel's Blog 