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.
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.
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.
Young people aged 11-18
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.