Call for Papers: Engaging with diversity conference
Interpret Europe Conference | 31 May – 3 June 2019 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | #iecon19
At the IE conference, ‘Engaging with diversity’, we will explore the significance of EU’s ambitious motto ‘United in diversity’ in all its diverse meanings and implications. Cultural diversity can be a great asset that broadens horizons, facilitates creativity and thinking outside the box. But history is full of examples of diversity being framed in ways that reinforced stereotypes and fueled hate. Almost everywhere, a particular building or a species of animal can invoke very different feelings in different people because they may associate different meanings with them. This poses challenges to heritage interpreters and puts a high responsibility on their shoulders.
Several aspects matter to heritage interpretation when contemplating ‘diversity’:
- the diversity of the heritage phenomena, tangible or intangible, such as artefacts in a collection, traditions around a site or biodiversity of a protected area;
- the diverse perspectives of historic stakeholders to whom heritage features are meaningful for different reasons;
- the diversity of subject areas such as social history, history of arts or of technology, or the biology of species, ecosystems approach or evolutionary perspectives;
- the diversity of contemporary stakeholders involved in heritage communities affected by heritage management and interpretation;
- the diversity of people visiting heritage sites with different knowledge, experiences, beliefs, values systems, world views and identities;
- and, last but not least, the diversity of interpretations by professional interpreters.
1 March 2019: Deadline for the submission of abstracts
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Tags: Cultural diversity