Heritage, Narrative and the Role of the Humanities in Populist Times

Abstract

At a time when populist rhetoric appears to have evacuated justice and ethics from public debates, I am interested in the extent to which our work as humanities scholars can contribute towards rebuilding viable public spheres, networks of solidarity, and – in the case of memorial sites – physical and imaginative spaces of encounter for audiences with diverse needs and interests. Focusing on Constitution Hill, a heritage precinct in the centre of Johannesburg, I examine what the humanities have to offer for the design of structured narrative environments on memorial sites, for the collaborative work between curators and witnesses, for the possibility of eliciting responsible forms of witnessing, and for the mass-mediated translation of heritage into popular culture. As experts in storytelling, do we have disciplinary and pedagogical toolkits that allow us to contribute to the reinvigoration of public spheres invested in fundamental processes of democracy and social justice, so as to counteract the relegation of ethical concerns ‘[to] the private space of the individual, to be enjoyed only at certain times in our day’ (Temelkuran 120)?