[Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clip Serv: Museum of Ideas, Not Atorcity & Insult

Tue, 26 May 2009 14:02:38 -0700

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No disagreement there, but when it comes to mistreatment is there a pecking
order?

2009/5/25 <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>

>  Hmmm=85.. Lots of mistreatment to consider, and agreed, good points.  I=
=92d
> say that the best place to start might be with the people who inhabited
> these lands long before the Irish, Doukhobors and many others from around
> the world arrived here. Please don=92t misunderstand, I don=92t mean to d=
iminish
> the treatment of any minorities in Canada, everyone deserves a voice, but
> I=92d say that Aboriginal people, especially Aboriginal women who remain =
some
> of the most disenfranchised, marginalized and poorest demographics in Can=
ada
> - one of the richest countries in the world, deserve to be heard first!
> There=92s room for everyone, looks like temporary exhibitions might be a =
key.
>
>
>
> Gayle E. Liman
>
> *Research Curator*
>
> *Westbank First Nation*
>
> * *
>
> 1900 Quail Lane
>
> Westbank, BC V4T 2H3
>
> 250-768-0227
>
>
>
> *From:* bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca [mailto:
> bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca]
> *Sent:* Monday, May 25, 2009 3:18 PM
> *To:* bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
> *Subject:* Re: [Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clip Serv: Museum of Ideas, Not Atorcit=
y
> & Insult
>
>
>
> Many good points.
>
> A couple of years ago I spent time with the Dean of Law Studies at the U =
of
> Vic, who was writing a book on the mistreatment of minorities by the
> dominion government.
>
> Among others, the Doukhobors figured prominently in this.
>
> Should all of these groups be in the afore mentioned *museum?*
>
> Here at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre we are pleased to present the
> Doukhobor experience [and mistreatment] of the Doukhobors in Canada.
>
> We are fortunate we can do this.
>
> If we didn't, I doubt that we too, would have a corner in this museum.
>
> An Irish connection: Markers to the Irish and the Doukhobors stand in clo=
se
> proximity to each other on the quarantine island of Grosse Isle.
>
> 2009/5/25 <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>
>
> *EDITORIAL*
>
> *Museum of ideas, not of atrocity and insult*
>
> David O'Brien, Winnipeg Free Press, Sunday, May 24, 2009
>
>
>
> In the early days of planning for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights,
> when the concept was still being developed by the Asper family, I told on=
e
> of their executives that I was sure the Irish story would figure prominen=
tly
> in the new facility and would, no doubt, have its own permanent exhibit. =
I
> was joking, of course, but the executive wasn=92t laughing. He wasn=92t e=
ven
> smiling. The grim poker face that greeted my lame attempt at humour said =
it
> all, namely that deciding which stories to tell, who would tell them and
> how, was going to be a painful exercise. The fear was that every group in
> Canada and beyond would demand its own pride of place in the museum, or a=
t
> least a corner office.
>
>
>
> Clearly, if that was the expectation, there was going to be a lot of
> disappointment, particularly if groups like the Irish demanded some room =
in
> the castle.
>
>
>
> Then again, why not the Irish story? It=92s a tale of woe loaded with hat=
red,
> famine, cultural genocide and religious persecution, and, finally, peace,
> sort of. The words holocaust and ethnic cleansing have even been used in
> connection with Irish suffering over the centuries. In other words, the
> Emerald Isle has all the themes that any respectable museum dedicated to
> human rights would need to educate visitors about respect for the dignity=
 of
> man. All rolled into one convenient package.
>
>
>
> The Irish, it is said, saved civilization when Christian monks and scribe=
s
> laboured to protect classic literature from the barbarians who ravaged
> Europe when the Roman Empire collapsed. It was the Irish, or so the story
> goes, who introduced this literature back into continental Europe. Could
> this new museum, then, be an opportunity for the land of saints and poets=
 to
> save us once again, from ourselves?
>
>
>
> Of course, I=92m joking, but then again, maybe not. Maybe there=92s an O=
=92Grady
> or an O=92Malley out there who believes the Irish tragedy is too big to
> ignore. And who=92s to say he or she would be wrong?
>
>
>
> Someone has to make those decisions, but it doesn=92t have to be a painfu=
l
> exercise. What needs to be understood, however, is that the museum really
> isn=92t a museum in the conventional sense. It=92s actually an education =
centre,
> a school, if you like. The only reason it was called a museum, besides th=
e
> fact that museum sounds better than
>
> educational centre, is so that it would fall within federal guidelines fo=
r
> receiving museum funding and support.
>
>
>
> The federal government doesn=92t operate schools, but it does manage nati=
onal
> museums. It=92s not that museums aren=92t educational, but they are built=
 around
> fixed objects and collections, whereas the human rights museum is being
> built around ideas with the express goal of compelling visitors to examin=
e
> their prejudices and, according to the government=92s corporate plan, "to
> encourage reflection and dialogue."
>
>
>
> As it stands, the plan includes several permanent themes, including the
> Holocaust, Canadian stories, other historical issues that will vary with
> time, contemporary issues, forums for discussion, and multi- media
> presentations on a variety of human rights questions.
>
>
>
> Key documents, such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and a
> heroes gallery, will also have a permanent place. All of this is subject =
to
> approval by the museum=92s board of trustees, but the basic concepts are =
not
> expected to change that much.
>
>
>
> What this means is that the victims of Mao Zedong and Josef Stalin, who
> were responsible for some of the worst crimes against humanity, should no=
t
> expect to see their stories enshrined at the museum. It doesn=92t mean th=
at
> there isn=92t room for them in some form. In a museum of ideas, everythin=
g is
> possible, but it=92s also important
>
> to note that every atrocity is not equal or equally valid as a teaching
> tool.
>
>
>
> The museum will be a balance of historical and contemporary issues, with
> the latter category subject to more fluidity than the first.
>
> I=92ve argued before that the Holocaust =97 a crime committed by a modern=
,
> sophisticated culture =97 belongs in the museum because of its immense
> educational value and I won=92t labour the point any more.
>
> The Irish may feel aggrieved by this slight =97 who, after all, can forge=
t
> the Battle of the Boyne and the Twelfth of July =97 but they will have to
> adjust, perhaps by building their own museum in Ireland.
>
>
>
> Then again, is that really fair to the Irish? Is anyone else being asked =
to
> build their own museum if they=92re unhappy with their role in our facili=
ty?
>
>
>
> It sounds difficult, but it doesn=92t have to be. Just think of it as a p=
lace
> that wants to change behaviour and inspire action, as opposed to serving =
as
> a repository for every insult that was ever hurled.
>
>
>
> The Irish will understand.
>
>
>
>
>
> ---   30   ---
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________ Bcma-l mailing list
> Bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca http://hp.bccna.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/bcma-l
>
>
>
>
> --
> Larry A. Ewashen
> Doukhobor Discovery Centre
> 112 Heritage Way
> Castlegar BC V1N 4M5
> www.Doukhobor-Museum.org <http://www.doukhobor-museum.org/>
> 250-365-5327
>

--=20
Larry A. Ewashen
Doukhobor Discovery Centre
112 Heritage Way
Castlegar BC V1N 4M5
www.Doukhobor-Museum.org
250-365-5327

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No disagreement there, but when it comes to mistreatment is there a pecking=
 order? 
<div class=3D"gmail_quote">2009/5/25 &lt;<a href=3D"mailt=
o:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca">bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca</a>&gt;</s=
pan> 
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0=
px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div lang=3D"EN-US" vlink=3D"purple" link=3D"blue">
<div>
Hmmm=85.. Lots of mistre=
atment to consider, and agreed, good points.=A0 I=92d say that the best pla=
ce to start might be with the people who inhabited these lands long before =
the Irish, Doukhobors and many others from around the world arrived here. P=
lease don=92t misunderstand, I don=92t mean to diminish the treatment of an=
y minorities in Canada, everyone deserves a voice, but I=92d say that Abori=
ginal people, especially Aboriginal women who remain some of the most disen=
franchised, marginalized and poorest demographics in Canada - one of the ri=
chest countries in the world, deserve to be heard first!=A0 There=92s room =
for everyone, looks like temporary exhibitions might be a key.

<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">=A0</span></p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">Gayle E. Liman</span></p=
>
<p><i><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">Research Curator</spa=
n></i></p>
<p><i><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">Westbank First Nation=
</span></i></p>
<p><i><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">=A0</span></i></p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">1900 Quail Lane</span></=
p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">Westbank, BC V4T 2H3</sp=
an></p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #c00000">250-768-0227</span></p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d">=A0</span></p>
<div style=3D"BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b=
5c4df 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: mediu=
m none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">
<p><b><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</span></b><span style=3D"FONT-S=
IZE: 10pt"> <a href=3D"mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca" target=3D"_bl=
ank">bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca</a> [mailto:<a href=3D"mailto:bcma-l-ad=
min@museumsassn.bc.ca" target=3D"_blank">bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca</a>=
] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, May 25, 2009 3:18 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href=3D"mailto:b=
cma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca" target=3D"_blank">bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca</a><br>=
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clip Serv: Museum of Ideas, Not Ator=
city &amp; Insult</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div></div>
<div class=3D"h5">
<p>=A0</p>
<div>
<p>Many good points.</p></div>
<div>
<p>A couple of years ago I spent time with the Dean of Law Studies at the U=
 of Vic, who was writing a book on the mistreatment of minorities by the do=
minion government.</p></div>
<div>
<p>Among others, the Doukhobors figured prominently in this.</p></div>
<div>
<p>Should all of these groups be in the afore mentioned <em>museum?</em></p=
></div>
<div>
<p>Here at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre we are pleased to present the Dou=
khobor experience [and mistreatment] of the Doukhobors in Canada.</p></div>
<div>
<p>We are fortunate we can do this.</p></div>
<div>
<p>If we didn&#39;t, I doubt that we too, would have a corner in this museu=
m.</p></div>
<div>
<p style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt">An Irish connection: Markers to the Irish =
and the Doukhobors stand in close proximity to each other on the quarantine=
 island of Grosse Isle.=A0</p></div>
<div>
<p>2009/5/25 &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca" target=
=3D"_blank">bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca</a>&gt;</p>
<div>
<p><b><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 8pt">EDITORIAL</span></b> </p>
<p><b><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Museum of ideas, not of atrocity and =
insult</span></b> </p>
<p><span style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt">David O&#39;Brien, Winnipeg Free Press, =
Sunday, May 24, 2009</span> </p>
<p>=A0</p>
<p>In the early days of planning for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, =
when the concept was still being developed by the Asper family, I told one =
of their executives that I was sure the Irish story would figure prominentl=
y in the new facility and would, no doubt, have its own permanent exhibit. =
I was joking, of course, but the executive wasn=92t laughing. He wasn=92t e=
ven smiling. The grim poker face that greeted my lame attempt at humour sai=
d it all, namely that deciding which stories to tell, who would tell them a=
nd how, was going to be a painful exercise. The fear was that every group i=
n Canada and beyond would demand its own pride of place in the museum, or a=
t least a corner office. </p>

=A0
Clearly, if that was the expectation, there was going to be a lot of dis=
appointment, particularly if groups like the Irish demanded some room in th=
e castle. 
=A0
Then again, why not the Irish story? It=92s a tale of woe loaded with ha=
tred, famine, cultural genocide and religious persecution, and, finally, pe=
ace, sort of. The words holocaust and ethnic cleansing have even been used =
in connection with Irish suffering over the centuries. In other words, the =
Emerald Isle has all the themes that any respectable museum dedicated to hu=
man rights would need to educate visitors about respect for the dignity of =
man. All rolled into one convenient package.

=A0
The Irish, it is said, saved civilization when Christian monks and scrib=
es laboured to protect classic literature from the barbarians who ravaged E=
urope when the Roman Empire collapsed. It was the Irish, or so the story go=
es, who introduced this literature back into continental Europe. Could this=
 new museum, then, be an opportunity for the land of saints and poets to sa=
ve us once again, from ourselves?

=A0
Of course, I=92m joking, but then again, maybe not. Maybe there=92s an O=
=92Grady or an O=92Malley out there who believes the Irish tragedy is too b=
ig to ignore. And who=92s to say he or she would be wrong? 
=A0
Someone has to make those decisions, but it doesn=92t have to be a painf=
ul exercise. What needs to be understood, however, is that the museum reall=
y isn=92t a museum in the conventional sense. It=92s actually an education =
centre, a school, if you like. The only reason it was called a museum, besi=
des the fact that museum sounds better than

educational centre, is so that it would fall within federal guidelines f=
or receiving museum funding and support. 
=A0
The federal government doesn=92t operate schools, but it does manage nat=
ional museums. It=92s not that museums aren=92t educational, but they are b=
uilt around fixed objects and collections, whereas the human rights museum =
is being built around ideas with the express goal of compelling visitors to=
 examine their prejudices and, according to the government=92s corporate pl=
an, &quot;to encourage reflection and dialogue.&quot;

=A0
As it stands, the plan includes several permanent themes, including the =
Holocaust, Canadian stories, other historical issues that will vary with ti=
me, contemporary issues, forums for discussion, and multi- media presentati=
ons on a variety of human rights questions.

=A0
Key documents, such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and =
a heroes gallery, will also have a permanent place. All of this is subject =
to approval by the museum=92s board of trustees, but the basic concepts are=
 not expected to change that much.

=A0
What this means is that the victims of Mao Zedong and Josef Stalin, who =
were responsible for some of the worst crimes against humanity, should not =
expect to see their stories enshrined at the museum. It doesn=92t mean that=
 there isn=92t room for them in some form. In a museum of ideas, everything=
 is possible, but it=92s also important

to note that every atrocity is not equal or equally valid as a teaching =
tool. 
=A0
The museum will be a balance of historical and contemporary issues, with=
 the latter category subject to more fluidity than the first. 
I=92ve argued before that the Holocaust =97 a crime committed by a moder=
n, sophisticated culture =97 belongs in the museum because of its immense e=
ducational value and I won=92t labour the point any more. 
The Irish may feel aggrieved by this slight =97 who, after all, can forg=
et the Battle of the Boyne and the Twelfth of July =97 but they will have t=
o adjust, perhaps by building their own museum in Ireland. 
=A0
Then again, is that really fair to the Irish? Is anyone else being asked=
 to build their own museum if they=92re unhappy with their role in our faci=
lity? 
=A0
It sounds difficult, but it doesn=92t have to be. Just think of it as a =
place that wants to change behaviour and inspire action, as opposed to serv=
ing as a repository for every insult that was ever hurled. 
=A0
The Irish will understand. 
=A0
=A0
---=A0=A0 30=A0=A0 --- 
=A0</div>
_______________________________________________ Bcma-l mailing list <a h=
ref=3D"mailto:Bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca" target=3D"_blank">Bcma-l@museumsass=
n.bc.ca</a> <a href=3D"http://hp.bccna.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/bcma-l" targe=
t=3D"_blank">http://hp.bccna.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/bcma-l</a> 
</div>
 
 -- Larry A. Ewashen Doukhobor D=
iscovery Centre 112 Heritage Way Castlegar BC V1N 4M5 <a href=3D"h=
ttp://www.doukhobor-museum.org/" target=3D"_blank">www.Doukhobor-Museum.org=
</a> 
250-365-5327</div></div></div></div></blockquote></div> 
<div></div> -- Larry A. Ewashen Doukhobor Discovery Centre 112=
 Heritage Way Castlegar BC V1N 4M5 <a href=3D"http://www.Doukhobor-Mu=
seum.org">www.Doukhobor-Museum.org</a> 250-365-5327

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