Centre for Public History, Heritage and Memory

Description

Who we are, how we see ourselves, how we remember the past, and the cyphers we employ, are critical to our identities. This past lies in monuments, handed-down narratives, texts and images. It is seldom neutral, and frequently politicised or contradictory. It continues to be formed and reformed. Yet frequently it remains hidden or abused.

The Centre for Public History, Heritage and Memory provides a lively hub for researchers, teachers, practitioners and the public in the connected areas of identity; representation and memorialisation; internationally significant, community-driven and regional history; and museum and heritage management. It explores the cultural significance of the past, challenging current interpretations, exploring points of tension and engaging with the processes of representing History from a variety of perspectives to meet the needs of a range of communities.

The Centre’s scope is global. It comprises projects which focus on areas of the United Kingdom and Europe, as the Americas, Australia and beyond, linking national and international institutions. It also connects at a local level to history societies, museums and archives across the East Midlands region. Members have interests in the physical artefacts of the past (large and small), in intangible cultural heritage, and in how the past is represented and presented through memorials, the media, film and public works of art. The Centre works actively with museums, the media, and through its own publications to take history to the broader public. It also has particular strengths in digital and scientific heritage, running projects which explore cutting edge techniques in the field in order to engage wider national and international audiences.

The Centre is particularly mindful of the need to build strong links with external professional, practitioner and community groupings, and to meld together its own academic expertise with the interests and enthusiasms of those directly outside the academy. It is aware, too, of the importance of shared ownership: that initiatives and directions are set and managed jointly with collaborative partners. Communities, in this sense, comprise those with shared identities, be it geographic, work or activity based or through specific interests. A key objective of the Centre is to enhance and enrich those shared identities through research, display and other forms of diffusion and engagement.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

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University affiliation(s)

Nottingham Trent University
50 Shakespeare St
Nottingham
NG1 4FQ