Whose Heritage? A (multi) cultural perspective symposium

Northumbria University is hosting a free one-day event which aims to change how we think about ‘heritage’.

Whose Heritage? is a symposium honouring the 20th anniversary of Stuart Hall’s landmark address, Whose Heritage? Un-settling ‘the Heritage’, Re-imagining the post-nation.

A sociological and cultural theorist, Stuart Hall was one of the founders of British Cultural Studies school of thought, which he pioneered in the mid-1960s. He was a campaigner for racial injustice and a leading academic in multiculturalism.

The event will help to raise awareness of, and expand attitudes towards, the idea of heritage, incorporating ideas of difference and change into how we think about the past. It will explore how culture and heritage institutions, such as museums and galleries, can correct inequalities within their sector, drawing upon current political topics such as Brexit.

Speakers at the event include household name and BBC broadcaster and public historian David Olusoga, and award-winning Artistic Director Dawn Walton of Eclipse Theatre.

Whose Heritage? is part of a wider AHRC-funded (Multi) Cultural Heritage research project at Northumbria University, led by AHRC Leadership Fellow Dr Susan Ashley. She said: “I am very excited about the wide-ranging contributions of artists, curators and researchers at this symposium, all active in seeking equality within arts, culture and heritage in the UK and the North East.”

The symposium is taking place on 24 May, 09:9:30am 5:45pm in the Assembly Rooms in Newcastle. You can register your interest here.

For more information about the Visual Material Culture research group visit: www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/research-areas/art-and-design/visual-material-culture/