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Entangled Things:Objects and the Anthropocene
No full textEntangled Things takes the concept of entanglement as its starting point in investigating the relationship between us and the material things we engage with. Each chapter illustrates a particular form of entanglement – desiring things, hoarding things, creating things, ridding ourselves of things – using ethnographic examples and theoretical perspectives. Hulme encourages a wider consideration of the place of humans in the world, and the kind of choices we enact when influenced by the material things around us. She explores our relationships with material objects in light of both personal and planetary ‘space’, and personal and historical time, from the space in our homes, storage spaces, landfill and oceans; to the times in our lives and the times in wider shared histories that things connect us to, not to mention our sense of time and our own place in the world. In so doing, Hulme intentionally places discussions on our entanglement with things squarely back into the context of the Anthropocene, with a provocative analysis in which the Anthropocene is posited as a concept which on one hand takes away human agency, placing us in the context of immense geological epochs, whilst on the other hand pushes agency upon humans, blaming us for the extreme challenges of the current era and looking to us to solve those challenges. For Hulme, material things are instrumental in helping us to grasp our existential place in the world and weave a way through the complications of living in epochal times
Caring Archives: Wellbeing challenges in an archive of extremism:Lessons and Questions from a Decade of the Searchlight Archive.
No full textBased on a decade of experience operating the Searchlight Archive at the University of Northampton, this chapter explores the challenges that an archive of extremism has encountered, and the ways in which these have spurred development of safeguarding and wellbeing practices for staff, students and others. A leading collection of far right and antifascist material, the Searchlight Archive provides a compelling case study for how these processes develop over time, and also for the ways in which conflict between access and wellbeing can be mitigated or resolved. The chapter will explore the key ways in which these issues have emerged in handling the wellbeing of its own staff, visitors, attached researchers, students and the public. It will consider the real harm that engagement with extreme material, designed to radicalise its audience, can cause in terms of risks to both mental health and physical wellbeing. It will lay out the approaches that have been taken to try and prevent or minimise these harms, and critically examine the successes and failures of these procedures. It will also explore the opportunities this material presents, both for students and those directly engaged with the material as well as wider society, and so argue that discussion to improve these processes is vital. It will finally lay out the need for a more proactive as opposed to reactive stance in regard to wellbeing and ethics processes for archives of this type, and warn against the misconception of archives as a passive custodian
The risks of a tourism caught in Clausewitz's fog of war
No full textThe Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz (and his theories on war) does not take a vacation! Yet, I am about to establish here a daring connection between Clausewitz’s theories and tourism as the starting point for my argument. This chapter brings together reflections from various areas of knowledge to identify one of the risks that I see as very much looming over the practice of tourism: that of political instrumentalisation in the international arena, especially in the presence of tense geopolitical situations.Tourism, understood not only as physical movement but also as a social phenomenon, reflects and amplifies the political, economic, and cultural dynamics of the contemporary world. The free movement of people and the very perception of certain areas/ destinations often have to contend with international politics, propaganda, and the effects of what Carl von Clausewitz (and here’s where the Prussian general comes into play) defined as the “fog of war”, that is, the uncertainty that characterises conflict situations and decisions in wartime.The concept of the “fog of war” comes from military studies, indeed, and refers to the uncertainty and disorientation that accompany military operations. I’d like to extend this notion to describe the political and social dynamics that willingly or unwillingly affect tourism in times of conflicts. Propaganda, political strategies, and international relations generate a “fog” that can distort the perception of the safety and accessibility of tourist destinations, and thus directly influence the ability of tourism to actually be a vehicle for intercultural dialogue and global understanding.The awareness about this dynamic is fundamental to the debate on the role of tour- ism in promoting peace or, conversely, in perpetuating conflicts. In this sense, for instance, when a Portuguese university asked me in 2020 to curate the contents for a new master’s programme on international tourism development, I deemed it appropriate to introduce, on an experimental basis, a module on “geopolitics and tourism”(where I also made sure to clarify the difference between “geopolitics and tourism”and “geopolitics of tourism”).The political use of tourism can have very complex and potentially harmful consequences, not only for the destinations involved, but also for the entire global tourism ecosystem, undermining tourism’s role as a tool for cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Despite the breadth of the implications, however, these dynamics do not seem to attract significant attention from the scientific community.In the following sections of this chapter, by summarising personal considerations and key academic insights about the political use of tourism, addressing how tour- ism intersects with diplomacy, national identity, economic development, geopolitical tensions, propaganda, and cultural exploitation, I will therefore briefly provide arguments and outline the reasons why, on the contrary, this issue should be added urgently to the research agenda of tourism scholars
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