Museums and nationalism, Imagining utopias
Laurie Taylor asks what can be learnt about nationalism by looking at a country's cultural institutions. Plus discussion on imagining utopias.
Museums and the 'nation': What can we learn about nationalism by looking at a country's cultural institutions? Laurie Taylor talks to Peggy Levitt, Professor of Sociology at Wellesley College, and author of a study which explores how museums today represent diversity and make sense of immigration and globalisation. She interviewed a range of museum directors, curators, and policymakers and heard the inside stories of the famous paintings and objects which define collections across the globe; from Europe to the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. They're joined by Julian Spalding, the art critic and writer.
Also, imagining utopias. Professor Craig Calhoun, director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, considers the role of impossible dreams in shaping our reality.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
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RELATED LINKS
Craig Calhoun, Director and President of LSE
Peggy Levitt at Wellesley College, USA
Julian Spalding, writer and former museum director
Podcast of Craig Calhoun's Lecture at the LSE "Can Imagination Change the World?"
BBC Radio 4 Start the Week episode discussing the role of museums and culture
READING LIST
Peggy Levitt, Artifacts and Allegiances How Museums Put the Nation and the World on Display (University of California Press, 2015)Broadcasts
- Wed 17 Feb 201616:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 22 Feb 201600:15BBC Radio 4
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