How do communities imagine public spaces and heritage narratives that speak to the problematic nature of their past?<\/p>\n
This is the question Michael Ripmeester wants to tackle in his ongoing research into how public spaces shape public conversation and memory \u2014 research that is now taking on a new international dimension.<\/p>\n
The Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies recently travelled to Adelaide in Australia as a visiting scholar at the University of South Australia, sharing his work in a public lecture and kicking off a new international collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done lots of work on how the public looks at monuments and public spaces where there\u2019s a heritage narrative that is contested or understood to be toxic or problematic,\u201d says Ripmeester. \u201cNow we are thinking about how to move beyond criticizing and move forward in such a way that breaks down polarities rather than enhancing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to previewing the upcoming research project, Ripmeester\u2019s public lecture outlined the various positions that have emerged as people around the world reckon with public monuments that represent oppression in different forms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some people who say contested monuments should be left alone because they\u2019re a part of our history,\u201d he says. \u201cA second approach is that we have a duty to remove them as quickly as possible because they are toxic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ripmeester notes that he means \u201ctoxic\u201d both figuratively and literally, pointing to research in the U.S. about how Black Americans living amongst Confederate monuments may become physically ill.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then there\u2019s another group of people who suggest we need to consider whether removing a monument actually has any lasting effect,\u201d he says. \u201cThese scholars are then asking whether public spaces can recontextualize history, either by adding to or replacing monuments to extend the story being told.\u201d<\/p>\n
He suggests that the monument may therefore actually mean less than the narrative attached to it.<\/p>\n
This third approach is shaping the next phase of Ripmeester\u2019s research, a collection of studies being conducted in collaboration with Senior Lecturer Matthew Rofe of the University of South Australia and Professor Jacky Bowring of Lincoln University in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemoving monuments from public view can play a role in removing the problems from discussion,\u201d he says. \u201cJacky, Matthew and I are thinking about how we can address this by modifying public spaces so that they\u2019re not telling harmful or hurtful stories or preventing members of the public from feeling comfortable or seen or heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new project will involve three studies in Canada, Australia and New Zealand focusing on each nation\u2019s legacy of British colonialism.<\/p>\n
Given this history, the researchers will collaborate with local Indigenous partners as they move forward.<\/p>\n
Each of the researchers will also assemble teams to tailor the work to their respective locations.<\/p>\n