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
Tag: racism
‘I’m so glad to see you here’: Why inclusion must be more than a policy.
Last week’s #museumsrespondtoferguson discussion was on inclusion policies and their implementation in recruitment practice (you can read the Storify story here). At one point, one of the hosts of the chat, Adrianne Russell, shared, ‘I can’t count how many times black visitors told me “I’m so glad to see you here”’, which just floored me. … Continue reading ‘I’m so glad to see you here’: Why inclusion must be more than a policy.
The Road to Hell
Ferguson [1] has reminded me of a saying I learnt in the US: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’. I think this applies to interpretation, and heritage management more generally, also. Our literature and our conferences are full of suggestions of interpreters’ inherent good will, and the positive outcome this is supposed … Continue reading The Road to Hell
Social inclusion, integration: Too big a task for interpretation?
Two days ago, I was told by someone calling himself ‘an Englishman’ that I should ‘go back to my own country’. This has left me deeply shaken on several levels, and it is also making me ask some uncomfortable questions about my own assertions and beliefs about the potential of interpretation [1]. Only a few … Continue reading Social inclusion, integration: Too big a task for interpretation?