EDI in Scottish Heritage
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: English
Abstract
The fellowship offers a unique opportunity to engage with some of Scotland's largest and most influential heritage organisations on a topic with heightened visibility in public discourse about heritage, but near invisibility in sector's workforce. The recent public engagement with the Black Lives Matter movement has forced many of us to consider race in a more meaningful way. Too often this is side-lined because the discussions are uncomfortable and at times the terminology and expression of related issues is unfamiliar, but it is a reality that cannot be ignored or overlooked any more. If we fail to confront the issues facing us, we will do lasting disservice to the communities in which we live. Serious and problematic questions have been asked about the foundations of the society we live in; the people we choose to commemorate and why; and what we can do. We cannot change the past, but we can change our understanding of the past and what aspects of that past we choose to celebrate, commemorate, or even simply acknowledge. This goes far beyond race as it intersects also with issues of gender and class and asks further uncomfortable questions about what we perceive to be heritage in the Scottish context? Do we prioritise the medieval past, glorying in castles, kings and queens, while ignoring the industrial landscape and heritage of coalmines? Why do we still feel it necessary to remember Henry Dundas with a statue, an individual whose 'gradualist' move towards support for the abolition of slavery enabled his colleagues in the West Indies to shore up their financial position in the face of such change? At what point will the Heritage industry acknowledge fully the legacy of trans-Atlantic slavery in Scotland; or the working-class areas of Scotland that shaped the Industrial Revolution? This fellowship will work from the inside out by engaging with some of the key organisations involved in decision making about heritage in Scotland.
Organisations
- University of Strathclyde (Fellow, Lead Research Organisation)
- Scottish Crannog Centre (Collaboration)
- Glasgow Women's Library (Collaboration)
- Museums Galleries Scotland (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) (Collaboration)
- Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Churnjeet Mahn (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Museums And Galleries Scotland
(2022)
Empire, Slavery, and Scotland's Museums: A Guide on the Consultation
| Description | There is a lack of race-related expertise in mainstream heritage organisations in Scotland. Community co-production should be at the heart of all heritage policy making. Targeted heritage placements for young BAME people is beneficial for organisations and young people. There is a gap in race-related heritage training for PGR students in Scotland Marginalising representations & experiences in museums & heritage spaces - Lack of representation of POC in museums - Representation of diverse cultures in museums as a draw for migrants and POC - POC perspectives on colonial material were not represented or appropriately interpreted - Predominant depiction of Africans focussed on enslavement - Experiences of racism in museums spaces do exist, though it is often more subtle - Focus groups of migrants from diverse backgrounds did not notice racism in museum spaces Barriers to Access - There are unspoken rules about how to engage with museums and heritage spaces - Cost of admittance can put some people off visiting sites and museums - Understanding exhibitions and interpretation that are only in English is a barrier - There are additional barriers to older individuals wishing to access heritage resources for the first time - There is a need for child-friendly spaces in museums - There is a lack of awareness of the specific needs of Muslim museum goers Why don't POC work in museums/heritage - There is a perception that only white people work in museums and heritage - POC representation in heritage and museums is often seen as tokenistic - POC are taught a whitewashed history of the UK, which leads them to become uninterested in heritage and related subjects - Heritage is not seen as well paying or stable, which leads parents to discourage their children from perusing these careers - The lack of support for going into heritage and related careers begins in secondary school Collaborations between museums/heritage and community groups: best practice - It is important to get community groups involved in heritage events or museum interpretation from the beginning, rather than bringing them in last minute - Long-term collaborations are overwhelmingly preferred, as they create relationships between the community and organisation - POC need the space to experience museums just as visitors, where their experience is not racialised or politicised - Women of colour need to be respected and paid for their work in EDI |
| Exploitation Route | • MGS are a beneficiary of the project through the additional capacity produced through contributions, survey data, focus group data, and specialist input on race and heritage. This has contributed to the overall development of the ESSM consultation for the Sottish Government which will be delivered this spring. • Heritage organisations - a number of heritage organisations have participated in informal and formal discussions to critically consider issues about race in collections, organisation management, and practice. • Young BAME people - we have generated paid opportunities, mentoring, and support for 8 BAME young people interested in heritage. • Placement providers - by offering paid placements and additional support through research expertise, we have added capacity for stretched organisations to explore race in their work, operations, and practice. • Community organisations - by offering opportunities to fund additional time on community heritage projects, we have helped to address issues around the precarity of community anti-racist work. |
| Sectors | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | • Contributing to the design and implementation of the ESSM public survey; • Contributing to the ESSM consultation through three specialist working groups on HR, proposals for the National Museum dedicated to Empire and Slavery in Scotland, and Research. • Conducting community focus groups (total participants c40) with BAME community groups on heritage in Scotland (with a museum focus) and conducting a survey of heritage professionals about race with c50 responses. Findings in progress. • Conducting training events with Intercultural Youth Scotland (to deliver part of the public consultation) and Historic Environment Scotland (on Equalities issues). • Collaborating with two anti-racist museum projects to develop exhibition material (Curating Discomfort at the Hunterian with Zandra Yeaman and Kelvingrove Museum with Miles Greenwood). • Additional capacity for existing race-related community heritage work. • Plans for co-production of a toolkit for heritage professionals about race developed with a community organisation. • The delivery of 8 placement opportunities for BAME young people. • A series of talks about race and heritage in Scotland. • A training collaboration with AHRC and ESRC DTPs. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Empire Slavery and Scotland's Museum |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Evidence on inclusive heritage being presented to government in April and May 2022. |
| Description | Inclusive heritage toolkit |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Historical diversity in collections |
| Organisation | Glasgow Women's Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We collaborated on a project designed to generate new approaches to the collection as well as new creative outputs (led by, and for, women of colour) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Facilitation; creative production. |
| Impact | Short print run publication |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Museum and Galleries Scotland |
| Organisation | Museums Galleries Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Development of project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Development of project. |
| Impact | Contribution to government consultation, events on heritage, and the development of training materials. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Placement activity |
| Organisation | Scottish Crannog Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Placement opportunity on indigenous approaches to heritage. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supporting the placement including skills, mentoring, and designing engagement. |
| Impact | Public events at the Scottish Crannog Centre. Influence on methods and approaches within the organisation. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Placement activity |
| Organisation | The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Placement for young person of colour to highlight history of South Asian doctors in society. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supporting the placement through skills, networks, and engagement activity. |
| Impact | Blog and public event on the early history of South Asian medical staff in the society. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and EDI in Scottish Heritage |
| Organisation | Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | Development placements. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Development placements. |
| Impact | Creation of placements for BAME young people. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Black History Month event on race and heritage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Event on zoom with panel discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Event on restitution |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Panel discussion about ethics and restitution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Migration and Museums |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Event on migration and museums in Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Royal College Surgeon and Physicians of Glasgow event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | event about the society's first South Asian members produced in collaboration with this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Speaker at Scotland's Untold Story event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Event focussing on the absence of BAME representation in early modern Scottish history and landscape. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Talk at Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk on diversity and heritage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Training event at Historic Environment Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Training event on equalities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |