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When Belongings Return

Connecting with source cultures through Object Storytelling

Hands holding a Tboli Necklace made out of wild boar bristles and beads. Photo by Cristina Juan 2023

What’s on offer?

45-minute interactive sessions which engage young adults from various backgrounds in exploring the role of objects as carriers of cultural memory and as tools for identity-making, representation and heritage activism. It begins with a short film (3 min.) and is followed by Tboli object storytelling and handing sessions, concluding with audience reflections on their own responses to in/tangible heritage. 

What’s it about?

Each session will begin with the extraordinary story of the return  of Tboli material culture, highlighting the significance of  cultural artefacts to their source communities. This narrative will serve as a catalyst for participants to reflect on the meaning of objects as bearers of cultural memory and identity and heritage activism. 

sparking conversations about personal connections to belongings—whether from their own heritage or from other immigrant cultures. The discussions will explore themes of cultural memory, identity-making, and the emotional and ethical implications of valuing material culture, while fostering thoughtful, non-extractive responses that encourage the flourishing of diverse cultures in the U.K. 

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Maria Cristina Juan, Faculty, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at SOAS University of London. She also runs Philippine Studies at SOAS and is the P.I. of the Mapping Philippine Material Culture Project.

Open to

Young people aged 11-18 

Of particular interest to

This will interest young people, but also anyone who is interested in the ideas and practical processes involved in the re-valuing and return of material culture to sources of origin.