Heritage is about everything that makes us who we are; this means it weaves an incredibly rich, varied and powerful tapestry. Sadly though, not all of its amazing colours and strands get included in every weaving. This can leave people whose story threads are missing feeling invisible, and the general tapestry is dimmer, even misleading for the gaps – like trying to read a story with several chapters missing. Earlier this year we attended a powerful workshop run by a project in Sheffield who are leading the way in working with communities to address these issues. We’re delighted to introduce you to them and their work here.
by Prof. Lizzy Craig-Atkins , Dr Courtenay-Elle Crichton Turley
Some of the Roots and Futures team at the 2023 ‘Welcoming Cultures’ event at Sheffield Museums. (Image courtesy of Roots and Futures)
Roots and Futures is a Sheffield-based project that elevates the voices of communities that have been underserved by heritage policy to ensure better representation of their needs at a city-wide scale. Researchers from the University of Sheffield, Sheffield City Council, heritage organisations and community groups have worked together with people across Sheffield’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to explore their heritage needs, values and priorities with a particular focus on developing creative and inclusive methods of consultation and the sharing of histories and stories. Our aim is equitable representation of all the city’s communities in heritage policymaking and a city in which everyone’s histories are visibly represented and celebrated, where heritage is for everyone.
The ‘washing line of cultural inclusion’ is created by one of our creative consultation activities where people are asked to share good experiences written on tops and bad experiences written on pants. (Image courtesy of Roots and Futures)
Why is place so important to equitable heritage?
Participants in Roots and Futures were clear that they felt the heritage that meant the most was rarely visible in the places around them. This led to feelings of not belonging, a loss of identity and a sense of invisibility. As we know from the work of Heritage Open Days, engaging with heritage activities can bring communities together and help improve wellbeing. But none of these benefits are felt by people if the histories that matter to them are not seen, or they feel that their cultural differences exclude them from participating. People who are underserved by heritage policy experience a lack of belonging in the places they live - which one participant described as feeling their impact was only temporary - even when their communities have been part of that place for generations.
Park Library Black Ladies Group
We have been working with the Black Ladies Group for two years. At their request, we have undertaken an oral histories project which has led to an exhibition of their stories and objects at Sheffield Museums. We have reflected with them on their experiences of heritage representation as Black Caribbean women of the Windrush Generation. One lady shared “If you look across Sheffield, what is there that would let you know that there are Black or Brown people living here?” and another followed up with “It's like part of history has been stolen”. They were clear that “history encourages a sense of belonging” but that without it “you can feel invisible”. The ladies felt they had never been asked about their histories before, and that this was taken to mean the city wasn’t interested in their stories. They were angry and frustrated that the opportunity to work with a project like Roots and Futures had been so long coming. After the exhibition, we asked the group how they felt. One member responded “I felt proud, we felt proud”.
The Black Ladies group in their Sunday best. (Image courtesy of Roots and Futures)
Sheffield Youth Cabinet
One of the key outcomes of our consultations in 2022-3 was the widely held view that Black, Asian and minority ethnic young people needed more help to have a voice in heritage decision-making and would benefit the most from a city in which they saw their histories reflected around them. We have done two consultations with Sheffield Youth Cabinet - with two separate groups of young people from around the city. Heritage was seen as important as “it helps the world be more diverse” and “if people forget about culture, life and other people would be boring”. One person shared “my culture is special to me as my ancestors fought for my language, traditions and people to continue living for generations and my culture is part of my identity which makes me who I am today.” The young people also felt there was a lack of true cultural appreciation in Sheffield. One said “I feel protective of my culture as it is very misunderstood and filled with stereotypes”.
Terezia Rostas, one of the Roots and Futures team, consulting with young people. (Image courtesy of Roots and Futures)
Cultural Heritage and Trauma
Many of the communities who are poorly represented in heritage policy have experienced prejudice and racism, or have histories involving conflict, migration and poverty. Their histories and stories contain traumatic events and experiences which can make conversations about heritage with researchers upsetting and difficult. In other cases communities have become disillusioned and exhausted by researchers asking about their experiences only to find that the histories and stories that matter to them remain invisible.
Roots and Futures recently held a workshop on cultural heritage and trauma at the Council for British Archaeology and Historic England-run Heritage and Wellbeing Conference in Northampton. Intended for people working in heritage with communities, we wanted to share our experiences of telling and hearing traumatic stories, and how the research process itself can be damaging if the particular experiences of underserved communities are not heard or understood. We ran an activity to provide insights into how those being consulted might feel and offered some examples of good practice. As part of this workshop we showed a reading of the poem ‘Why Don’t We Cry’ produced by Sheffield’s Roma Community and Sheffield’s Migration Matters Festival that provides an evocative insight into how heritage can be associated with trauma. Participants left the workshop with a greater insight into other people’s experiences. One participant responded “it was challenging and lovely in equal measure”.
Find out more
More information on projects referenced in the post:
You’re never that far from some kind of waterway in England, so sailing has been important to us since our earliest days. A safe harbour and a practical dock are essential and with so much history behind them they have a wealth of stories to tell; from royalty to photography! A new initiative was launched this year to highlight these places and here, maritime historian, Cathy Shelbourne, shares some with us.
Are you ready for a peek at a collection that looks back at you? Welcome to the world’s oldest museum of optometry! Find out what that is and discover some of the curious devices created to aid our vision (and more) with this introduction from its curator, Dr Neil Handley. (P.S. – Watch out for stories of augmented reality, football fans and student practical jokes along the way!)
The National Trust has an incredible collection of places, objects, and most importantly, stories. A collaborative research project has helped them highlight more of these from under-represented groups. Members of the project team introduce their work here and share three of the stories – discover the celebrated miniaturist who painted with her mouth and shoulder and the much loved sister who learnt to speak again after an accident.
