The birthplace of William Shakespeare is undergoing “decolonisation” after concerns were raised after the bard was being deployed to promote “white supremacy”.
Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust owns a number of buildings across Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as a collection of personal documents of the famous playwright.
Now, the trust is now “decolonising” its collection of artefacts to “create a more inclusive museum experience”.
The museum curators will carry out further analysis on the “impact of colonialism” on world history and the ways in which “Shakespeare’s work has played a part in this”.
Certain items in its archives might include “language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful”, the trust said
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Certain items in its archives might include “language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful”, the trust said.
The change comes as the playwright receives significant posthumous backlash against his works – many of which have had trigger warnings for racism, sexism and violence.
Several years ago, findings of a research project between Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust and the University of Birmingham’s Dr Helen Hopkins indicated that the writer’s works “benefits the ideology of white European supremacy”, The Telegraph reports.
The research argues that European culture was forced to become the world standard for high art via “colonial inculcation” and that Shakespeare was deployed as a symbol of “British cultural superiority”.
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The researchers declared that such a narrative was harmful and urged the trust to stop referring to the playwright as the “greatest” writer and encouraged them to say that he was part of a group of “equal and different” international authors.
The trust received funding from an organisation – named the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation – that works to encourage diversity and inclusion and provide a more international perspective in the museum’s curation.
The museum has attempted to incorporate more international events into its calendar by, for instance, adding in a Romeo and Juliet-themed dance class.
It is also working towards analysing how artefacts could be differently interpreted to tell more diverse and inclusive stories.
Offensive language will also be removed from its collections as the trust conducts a “long, thoughtful” process
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Offensive language will also be removed from its collections as they conduct a “long, thoughtful” process.
A statement from the trust said: “As part of our ongoing work, we’ve undertaken a project which explores our collections to ensure they are as accessible as possible.”
The trust’s process comes amid public indignation against “woke” trigger warnings on Shakespeare’s plays, as a university slaps over 200 warnings on his works for depictions of storms and the action of popping a balloon.
High-profile actors have condemned such actions, including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen, arguing that it reduces the shocking impact of theatre.
