During the first two weeks of October the
Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies will be hosting two visitors from the USA: Paul A. Shackel from the University of Maryland who works on issues of labour, class and Heritage, and Barbara Little, Senior heritage professional from the US National Park Service.
While at the centre, they will be giving two seminars and a workshop.
Claiming, Re-claiming and Celebrating Underrepresented Heritage (5 October)
By Barbara J. Little
Civil Society Organizations, governments at all levels, educational and research institutions, and others identify and represent heritage in various and sometimes incompatible ways. Heritage workers who are concerned about fairness and righting historical wrongs face challenges in assessing what counts as underrepresented heritage and what would count as adequately or appropriately represented heritage. I will take a broad view of the way that heritage places are represented in the United States to consider the interplay of various organizations, including national cultural institutions and local preservation organizations. I consider collaboration and competition, different definitions of “underrepresented,” and demographic change. I consider historical and current civil rights struggles as foundational for opening paths to self-representation.
This conversation will kick off at 4:00pm in the Sir Roland Wilson Theatrette (Building #120) at ANU, followed by drinks at 5:30pm at University House.
Exploring the Power of Place for Heritage-based Peacebuilding (11 October)
Led by Professor Paul A. Shackel and Dr Barbara J. Little
Abstract: Participants in this workshop learn how to use the power of place to discuss issues of heritage and social justice. Together we will explore a process for developing a historic place as a centre to address contemporary issues with a focus on peacebuilding. Come to the workshop ready! Identify a place (preferably in your local area) that is associated with the history of a conflict that is still unresolved today and be ready to share a sentence or two about the place and the issue associated with it. Participants will choose a handful of the places identified to focus on during the workshop. Participants will be working in small groups of 4-5 people using the world café model. Group discussions will lead to specific action plans so that committed participants will be ready to start making change in their community.
Costs (lunch and morning & afternoon tea included):
- ANU Students no fee
- Waged $60 early bird price before 26 September
- Non-ANU student $35 early bird price before 26 September
This workshop will run from 9:00am to 4:30pm in the Sir Roland Wilson Theatrette (Building #120) at ANU.
Remembering the Lattimer Massacre: Issues of Labor Justice in Northern Appalachia (13 October)
By Paul A. Shackel
In 1897, immigrant coal miners in Northeastern Pennsylvania went on strike to gain similar wages earned by their white, English speaking co-workers. At a confrontation with the sheriff and his deputies, 25 miners were killed and another 40 were wounded. The Lattimer Massacre, considered one of the major miscarriages of American justice, was quickly forgotten, and disappeared from the national public memory. Today, the incident is missing from many of the major labour history text books and it is not part of the Pennsylvania State curriculum. Through the efforts of many different stakeholders the subjects that surround Lattimer’s place in history - immigration, income equity, and labour justice – are important topics that are relevant and need to be addressed in the contemporary community.
This conversation will kick off at 4:00pm in the Sir Roland Wilson Theatrette (Building #120) at ANU, followed by drinks at 5:30pm at University House.
Barbara J. Little is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and an Affiliate of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies at the University of Maryland. She works in public archaeology and explores intersections between civic engagement, social justice, and heritage. Her most recent book, co-authored with Dr. Paul A. Shackel, is Archaeology, Heritage, and Civic Engagement: Working toward the Public Good (2014 Left Coast Press). Selected publications include, Historical Archaeology: Why the Past Matters (2007) and a co-edited volume with Paul A. Shackel, Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagement (2007). Her edited volume, Public Benefits of Archaeology (2002), is a collection of viewpoints on the value of archaeology for the public. Her lecture “Heritage, Resilience, and Peace” appears in Heritage & Society 4:2:187-198 (2011).
Paul A. Shackel is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Heritage Studies at the University of Maryland. His research projects have focused on the role of archaeology in civic engagement activities related to race and labour. A sample of his work on this topic includes: New Philadelphia: An Archaeology of Race in the Heartland (2011), and a co-authored volume with Barbara Little - Archaeology, Heritage and Civic Engagement: Working toward the Public Good (2014). He is currently engaged in a project that focuses on labour and migration in northern Appalachia in the United States. This work focuses on issues of class, race, and labour and the foundation for the project can be found in his book, The Archaeology of American Labor and Working Class Life (2009).