Antagonism as Method: Critical Heritage Meets Critical Design

Jamieson, Kirstie; Discepoli, Marta

Abstract

This paper reflects upon the critical intent of an inter-lingual and inter-modal heritage research project that brought together Scotland’s heritage professionals and Deaf activists. We describe how the collaborative methods of critical design facilitated counter-narratives, which performatively instituted the Deaf Heritage Collective as a space, where conflicting ideas surrounding disability, inclusion and heritage could be debated. We argue that a critical design approach extends the capacity of critical heritage to represent and interpret dissensus. In so-doing, the paper tests some of the claims of both critical heritage and critical design against Marchant’s (2019) curatorial antagonism, which insists upon the importance of designing a counter-position within museum and heritage spaces. We argue that when combined, critical design and critical heritage enable a counter-position apt for exploring excluded communities and minority cultural heritage.

Citation

Jamieson, K., & Discepoli, M. (2020, August). Antagonism as Method: Critical Heritage Meets Critical Design. Paper presented at Association of Critical Heritage Studies 2020, Online

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Association of Critical Heritage Studies 2020
• Conference Location: Online
• Start Date: Aug 26, 2020
• End Date: Aug 30, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 19, 2023
• Related Public URLs: https://achs2020london.com/