Laurence Maidment-Blundell tells us more about his doctoral research on the contribution of volunteers towards the de-colonisation of British cultural institutions, including Fulham Palace.
Over the last few years, there has been mounting pressure for cultural institutions to acknowledge, engage with, and research their colonial and imperial history and heritage and the contemporary legacies of these. This is because cultural institutions and individuals connected to them have been linked to justifying, legitimising, or profiteering from colonial and imperial activity, e.g., Bishop Compton and his use of enslaved labour to locate ‘exotic’ plants for his garden. Consequently, there have been calls for cultural institutions to ‘de-colonise’ themselves by acknowledging the colonial/imperial connections of their organisation; by recognising the presence of those that have been written out of history; and by dismantling the infrastructure that (re)produces colonial inequalities and legacies in the present.
So where do volunteers fit in? Any organisation that wants to ‘de-colonise’ itself requires the involvement of their volunteers. This is because volunteers not only play a key role in communicating the institution’s histories and stories to various publics, but they are also often the public face of an organisation and act as its ambassadors, whether as a friendly face as a front of house volunteer or as an insightful and knowledgeable tour guide volunteer. As a result, there are three fundamental questions that I am grappling with as part of my PhD:
How do volunteers respond to their institution’s ‘de-colonisation’ efforts?
How should institutions engage with volunteers as they ‘de-colonise’ their collections, properties, and parklands?
How can institutions support their volunteers in communicating ‘de-colonised’ histories to various publics in an appropriate, concise, and critical manner?
I am also sure that Fulham Palace is a place that holds a lot of meaning and significance to all volunteers. It is a place that some of you may have grown up with, a place where you can experience the historic home museum and gardens, or a place to socialise and spend time with fellow volunteers. Consequently, I want to know what your opinion is concerning the Palace’s decision to acknowledge and research the connections of the Bishops of London and Fulham Palace itself to Trans-Atlantic Slavery and historic colonialism, and how you think this may impact your volunteering experience.
If you would like to be interviewed, feel free to email me at laurence.maidment-blundell.15@ucl.ac.uk
