Cultural Heritage Agency
Ministry of Educatíon, Culture and Scíence

Smallepad 53811 MG Amersfoort
P.O. box 1600
3800 BP Amersfoort
The Netherlands
www.cultureelerfgoed. nlContåctpersoonl¡nna Smit

T +3L65025t773
j.smit@cultureelerfgoed. nl

Date

Subject

18 April 2019
Call for Candidates'Training Sharing Stories on Contested Histories'

Dear Madam, Sir,
The Netherlands Government attaches great importance to the past we share withother countries and what its traces can teach us about ourselves and ourconnections with these countries. This shared past is both rich as well as complex
and its aftermaths are still discernible in our present-day soc¡et¡es. To increase
the awareness and visibility of this shared past and to contribute to thesustainable preservation of its tangible and intangible traces, the Netherlands
Government has initiated the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme. Through thisprogramme, the Netherlands works together with Australia, Brazil, India,Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname and the United Statesof America.
When it comes to presenting shared pasts, heritage institutions in the Netherlands
have become more and more aware of the need to become more polyvocal,engaging, diverse, (self)reflective and participatory. Inclusive, representative andparticipatory modes of sharing cultural heritage and the therewith linked histories
add relevance to our institutions and society at large. In the Netherlands, thisawareness has resulted in an ethical rethink and change on working practices oncollecting, designing exhibitions and setting up learning programmes. It is a workin progress, however, which will highly benefit from exchanges of expertise withother countries.
Within this context, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, part of theNetherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, invites emerging museum
professionals and academics from Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan,Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, the United States of America and theNetherlands to join the second edition of the international training 'Sharing
Stories on Contested Histories'. This training aims to bring together professionals
and academics to reflect on the engagement with and presentation of sharedcultural heritage topics that might be considered as being 'contested'.

Training and selection details
The Cultural Heritage Agency offers this training in close collaboration with theReinwardt Academy, a faculty of the Amsterdam University of the Arts. It will take

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place in the Netherlands, from 1-13 December 2019. It is recommended that thecandidates arrive the day before the training (30 November) to ensure
attendance. During the train¡ng, which will be case oriented and practical inapproach, the trainees will also work with professionals from several museums inthe Netherlands.
The group of trainees will consist of two participants of the above mentioned
partner countries plus two trainees from the Netherlands. Per country, there is amaximum of two participants, of which one emerging museum professional andone emerging academic from (vocational) universities. Selection is done by theCultural Heritage Agency and the Reinwardt Academy on the basis of thefollowing:

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The candidate works in the heritage or academic field in one of thesecountries: Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South
Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, the United States of America and theNetherlands.
The candidate has to be proficient in the English language, both inwritten and spoken form.
The candidate falls within the age range 25 - 35.
The candidate has a bachelor, specialist or master degree.
The candidate has at least three years'experience in the heritage or
the academic field.
The candidate can commit to the training period:1-13 December
2019. It is recommended that the candidate arrives the day before

the training (30 November) to ensure attendance.
The motivation letter of the candidate (500 words) and a resume haveto be submitted before 15 June 2019, I AM.

The resume should include the following details¡First nameo.
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SurnameAddress
Email address
GenderDate of birth
Education
Employer organisation
Position in the organisation
Level of English IReading]
Level of English lSpeakingl
Level of English IUnderstanding]Work experience

The results of the selection will be communicated before 15 July 2019
Tuition fees for the training, costs for accommodation (selected by the CulturalHeritage Agency) during the training and excursions as part of the training will becovered by the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme of the Cultural Heritage
Agency of the Netherlands. In addition, the Agency also covers travel expenses inPage 2 of 7the Netherlands to commute between accommodation and training location.
Please note: costs for travel to and from the Netherlands, valid travel documents,
visa and travel insurance will have to be covered by the participants or his or herorganization.
For more information about the Cultural Heritage Agency, our Shared Cultural
Heritage Programme and mentioned training, including set up and learning
objectives, please see Appendix I. In case of any questions, do not hesitate tocontact Ms. Iris Volkers: i.volkers@cultureelerfgoed.nl, Training Coordinator.

I truly hope that this letter has piqued your interest and that you will take thistraining opportun¡ty into consideration.
Sincerely,The Cultural Heritage Agency
Jinna Smit
Programme Director Shared Cultural Heritage

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Appendix I

Shared Cultural Heritage
The Netherlands has a rich history in which connections with other countries haveplayed an important role. As a maritime trading nation, colonial ruler and a landof migrants and internationally renowned artists and architects, the Netherlands
has left its traces all over the world. In a similar vein, other nations and cultures
have also left their marks in the Netherlands. These traces can be identified asshared cultural heritage.
The Netherlands Government supports the sustainable preservation of sharedcultural heritage through collaboration with partner countries within theframework of its International Cultural Policy, 2OL7-2020. The Cultural Heritage
Agency of the Netherlands (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed or RCE) is oneof the executing parties of this policy, alongside the Netherlands Embassies inour partner countries and other Dutch organizations.

The Cultural Heritage Agency
The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands is closely involved in listing,preserving, sustainably developing and providing access to the most valuable
heritage in our country. The Agency is the link between policymakers, academics

and practitioners, providing advice, knowledge and information, and performing
certain statutory duties.
Through its Shared Cultural Heritage Programme, the Cultural Heritage Agency of
the Netherlands works towards a sustainable future for the shared past. The
Agency achieves this by means of international collaborations and knowledge
exchange by which it endeavors to create favorable conditions for the sustainable
conservation of shared heritage in an ever-changing society.
The Shared Cultural Heritage Programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of theNetherlands relates to ten partner countries: Australia, Brazil,India, Indonesia,Japan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Surinam, United States of America and South Africa. In
these countries, the Cultural Heritage Agency offers and seeks expertise within
the themes: Collections, Built Environment and Maritime Archaeology.
Capacity building and knowledge exchange takes place through training, advice
and tools like road maps, manuals, guidelines and catalogues.
Within the theme Collections, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands isoffering the training'Sharing Stories on Contested Histories'.

Collections
The Netherlands has a wealth of expertise in the field of museum collection
management and conservation. The Cultural Heritage Agency looks after theState art collection and conducts research and disseminates knowledge of themovable heritage. The Agency offers practical solutions and instruments for dailyuse, which are based on real-life issues and experience. In the projects as part of
the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme, the Cultural Heritage Agency seeks
intensive cooperation with collection managers, universities and other partners
both within and outside the Netherlands.
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In its international collaborations, the Cultural Heritage Agency usually pairs up
with other Dutch institutions. This widens the areas of expertise the Agency canoffer to the partner countries and it also enhances its capacity. Within the theme
Collections, the Agency works with, among others, the Reinwardt Academy. The
Training 'sharing Stories on Contested Histories' has been developed by theReinwardt Academy in close cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Agency.
Reinwardt Academy
The Reinwardt Academy positions itself as the knowledge-, research-, and training
centre in cultural heritage. This highervocational college (in Dutch: HBO) is
located in Amsterdam and offers the only Bachelor programme on Cultural
Heritage available in the Netherlands, as well as a Masters programme onMuseology. Additionally, the Reinwardt Academy is well-known for its
contributions to the Dutch and international heritage field due to its role as aplatform for (inter)national heritage professionals to exchange knowledge andexperience.

Training'Sharing Stories on Contested Histories'
Most museums have long-established roots in traditional museum learning(education) and exhibiting (presentation), which is offered in a well-designed
environment (aesthetics). Yet, too often this leads to a single voiced grandnarrative way of storytelling. However, museums have developed rapidly in thelast few decades to stay relevant by becoming more inclusive, representative andparticipatory towards their public. These fashions of sharing cultural heritage andthe therewith linked histories have been successfully tested but are not yet acommon practice. The deconstruction of underlying institutionalised power
structures and working fashions is needed and a new and active working modeneeds to be found. This development has its roots in 'New Museology'andstrongly focuses on society, reflected in a maximum societal involvement in what
museums collect and the way they present it. New Museology revolves aroundthree key questions: representation, access and participation. The key concept
here is user-generated content: it is the users that, as participants in a specificcommunity of interest, deliver content. This is also significant when topics related
to contested heritage are considered. As these discussions are often heated anddifficult, museums and heritage institutions can play a socially relevant role byoffering safe places for societal and social development. Places where a in a
nontoxic and open way discussions and debates can take place: 'contact zones'.
These concepts also apply to the subject matter of shared cultural heritage. In
many cases these are disputed histories which require a dialogical and polyphonicapproach. This training programme therefore focuses on researching polyphonicstorytel ling and communicating heritage through mu ltiple interpretation.

Set up
The training programme proposes to set up an international working communityof young and upcoming heritage professionals from the ten partner countries andthe Netherlands. Using a case study from a Dutch museum, the participants ofthis course will try to come to new strategies of storytelling, where multiple points

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of view are offered on problematic or contaminated histories and cultural
heritage.
The training is very much case oriented and as such practical in approach. Basic
literature will be provided in advance. The programme consists of: practice-based
lectures, discussions and talks, fieldtrips to museums, workshops and trainingsessions, self-study based on selected literature. In short:aaaa

Various lectures will offer both theoretical reflection as well as casestudies.
Practical and immersive workshops will lead to deeper insight.
Museum visits will offer exploration and reality checks.
Individual presentations will offer opportunities of sharing ideas andopinions.

aaTeamwork will offer a strong sense of co-creation.
Literature will be provided for orientation and self-study.
Questions addressed in this course are for example: How do visitors
perceive museums and museum collections in exhibitions inrelationship to contested histories/coloniality? How can we put visitorswith a wide variety of culturally diverse backgrounds and their needs
at the heart of our museum work? Which fresh methods ofconstructivist and emphatic interpretation can we use to engage
visitors in the multi perspective stories of museum collections?

Goals and objectives
The programme focuses on three main learning goals:
1. Both from a practical as well as a theoretical point of view, participants aregoing to explore the relevancy of nowadays museums. As a strategy to overcome
grid-locked discussions and polarised bubbles, constructivist and empathic
multivocal storytelling will be explored. Tolerance and an open mind are needed
during dialogues where mutual understanding is at stake, especially when it isconcerning contested cultural heritage and connected histories.
2. Through activity-oriented assignments and workshops participants will
experience the various concepts of exhibiting, storytelling, tour-guiding andeducational programmes and as such will get a new and immersed understandingof this way of exploring museum collections and their stories.
3. Because we will be working as professionals amongst professionals there will
be a constant flux of exchanging knowledge, ideas and concepts. As such a
community of practice for peer-learning and co-creation will arise that isinfluential, beneficial for all involved and through the use of new media
interconnected and sustainable.

Results/Outcomes
The training programme is explorative in its nature, setting front-edge methods toget:.
.

a better understanding of exhibiting/storytelling with an emotional
impact;a good understanding of constructivist learning and as such be able tooffer open and multiple interpretation;

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aa good understanding of concepts of empathy as a means to come toopen-minded sharing ideas;a better idea of methods that enhance mutual tolerance throughaemotion networks;
insight on how to develop multi-vocal exhibiting and storytelling.

Requirements of participants
The capacity of this training is limited to 11 upcoming museum professionals andll academics from (vocational) universities. The aim is to include 2 participantsfrom each shared cultural heritage partner country, including the Netherlands.
Participants of this workshop-based training are required to actively participate
and work in teams to elaborate, share, criticise and develop various ideas,concepts and products. It is specifically meant for high-potentials and (pre)midcareer middle managers in museums who are actively working in the line ofEducation, Exhibition Development and Audience Development.
The programme is also aiming for the participation of some practice-based
academics in the professional and academic field. By connecting field practitioners
with practical academics from the various partner countries, the training will offer
a working model where the produced knowledge and gained insights will beembedded in a more sustainable manner. All academics in this programme are
required to be in an open-minded learning mode themselves.
The course will be conducted in English, attendees do need to have a goodworking understanding of the English language. A selection procedure will be partof this specific training programme. See the letter for details.

Key-lecturers
Lecturers and guest-lecturers form the Reinwardt Academy, staff from the
Cultural Heritage Agency, and staff from selected museums will be engaged into
offering the programme as well as the invited academics from the various partnercountries. Museums with relevant collections and specific stories to tell will bepart of the programme.

Time investment
The course will take up to 10 working days, starting on Sunday 1
December and ending Friday 13 December. It is recommended that thecandidate arrives November 30 to ensure attendance. The expected total
workload of this two weeks training programme will be 90+ hours. Each day will
have at least two day-parts (morning and afternoon). Some days might have(both informal and formal) evening sessions as well. All in all, participants musttake into account that during this training some evenings need to be used to
study and also to work together as a team on the assignment.

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