Alissandra Cummins
ORCID# https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5591-7508
Director of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society ,1985 - present
Deputy Director, Barbados Museum and Historical Society, 1983-1985
Member, Advisory Committee, Shared Island Stories Between Scotland and the Caribbean: Past, Present, Future, European Research Council, 2022-present
President, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, 2021- present
Member, UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH), 2020 to present
Member, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, 2017-2021
Chairperson, Barbados National Art Gallery, 2019 to present
Principal Investigator and Coordinator, University of the West Indies, EU-LAC-MUSEUMS Project, 2016 -2021
Editor in Chief, International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 2012-2020
Lecturer/Course Coordinator, Museum Studies/Heritage Studies, University of the West Indies, 2001 to present
Chairperson, UNESCO Executive Board, 2011-2013
Vice Chairperson, World Heritage Committee, 2011
Chairperson, Finance and Administrative Commission, UNESCO Executive Board, 2009-2011
Chairperson, International Advisory Committee, UNESCO Memory of the World, 2007-2009
President, International Council of Museums (ICOM), 2004-2010
Chairperson, Advisory Committee, ICOM, 1998-2004
Chairperson, Barbados National Commission for UNESCO, 1999 to present
President, International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA), 1991-1995
Founder President, Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC), 1989-1995
Director of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society ,1985 - present
Deputy Director, Barbados Museum and Historical Society, 1983-1985
Member, Advisory Committee, Shared Island Stories Between Scotland and the Caribbean: Past, Present, Future, European Research Council, 2022-present
President, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, 2021- present
Member, UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH), 2020 to present
Member, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, 2017-2021
Chairperson, Barbados National Art Gallery, 2019 to present
Principal Investigator and Coordinator, University of the West Indies, EU-LAC-MUSEUMS Project, 2016 -2021
Editor in Chief, International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 2012-2020
Lecturer/Course Coordinator, Museum Studies/Heritage Studies, University of the West Indies, 2001 to present
Chairperson, UNESCO Executive Board, 2011-2013
Vice Chairperson, World Heritage Committee, 2011
Chairperson, Finance and Administrative Commission, UNESCO Executive Board, 2009-2011
Chairperson, International Advisory Committee, UNESCO Memory of the World, 2007-2009
President, International Council of Museums (ICOM), 2004-2010
Chairperson, Advisory Committee, ICOM, 1998-2004
Chairperson, Barbados National Commission for UNESCO, 1999 to present
President, International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA), 1991-1995
Founder President, Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC), 1989-1995
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Books by Alissandra Cummins
This volume brings together a wide range of authors, all of whom were born and/or work in the Caribbean, who were invited to contribute essays which explore the current curatorial drive within the Caribbean. The theme of curatorship is considered in its broadest context, and encompasses many different projects and initiatives aimed at creating a platform for the visual arts, making visual art ‘visible’ by bringing it to a wider audience and broadening the critical discussion around it.
Chapters by Alissandra Cummins
institutions, the decolonisation of both academic and museum-based knowledge systems and the construction of interdisciplinary models for museological orientation. It will discuss the development of a pedagogy of museology and curatorship for the Anglophone Caribbean, and preservation and conservation training and practices, critically assessing their efficacy.
through twenty-five essays the diverse contemporary perspectives on Caribbean heritage. It probes the rich range of heritage, from cultural to natural and
tangible to intangible, in the Anglophone Caribbean, principally the two-island
nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The topics covered include, among others, symbolism, literature, linguistics, pedagogy, philanthropy, natural history, ethnobotany, land tenure, townscapes, archaeology, and museology. Patrick Bryan and
Basil Reid introduce the collection by voicing dissatisfaction with the common
definitions of heritage and proposing a less neutral, more inclusive one that
unlocks the rich plurality of the concept.
...In Part v, “Archaeology and Museology,” Margaret E. Leshikar-Denton and
Della A. Scott-Ireton focus on the various exemplary maritime heritage management strategies employed in the Cayman Islands. Andrea Richards offers
a concise assessment of Jamaica’s movable cultural heritage and a proposal for
how to regulate it. The final two essays, one by Alissandra Cummins and one by
Kevin Farmer and Alissandra Cummins, discuss the colonial origins and commercial and political overtones of museums in the Caribbean and the role of
independence and postindependence era museums in decolonization and the
forging of a new Caribbean nationalism and national identities.
Taken together, this volume’s essays suggest that heritage can be considered
virtually limitless...
it reflects the integration of various visions of heritage, from the regional to the local, from the general to the specific, and from informative texts to the more scientifically detailed, offering a balanced view of both extremes of heritage study and the shades of grey in between. The collection is a valuable contribution to the study of Caribbean heritage of the Anglophone islands, underlining the social importance and cultural value of heritage within its specific sociocultural contexts as well as its
broader Caribbean setting. Written in a style that will both satisfy academic
readers and appeal to the lay public, it provides people from the Anglophone
Caribbean and beyond a published testimony to the diversity of their rich heritage.
Konrad A. Antczak
through twenty-five essays the diverse contemporary perspectives on Caribbean heritage. It probes the rich range of heritage, from cultural to natural and
tangible to intangible, in the Anglophone Caribbean, principally the two-island
nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The topics covered include, among others, symbolism, literature, linguistics, pedagogy, philanthropy, natural history, ethnobotany, land tenure, townscapes, archaeology, and museology. Patrick Bryan and Basil Reid introduce the collection by voicing dissatisfaction with the common definitions of heritage and proposing a less neutral, more inclusive one that unlocks the rich plurality of the concept.
...In Part v, “Archaeology and Museology,” ... The final two essays, one by Alissandra Cummins and one by Kevin Farmer and Alissandra Cummins, discuss the colonial origins and commercial and political overtones of museums in the Caribbean and the role of independence and postindependence era museums in decolonization and the
forging of a new Caribbean nationalism and national identities.
Taken together, this volume’s essays suggest that heritage can be considered
virtually limitless...
it reflects the integration of various visions of heritage, from the regional to the local, from the general to the specific, and from informative texts to the more scientifically detailed, offering a balanced view of both extremes of heritage study and the shades of grey in between. The collection is a valuable contribution to the study of Caribbean heritage of the Anglophone islands, underlining the social importance and cultural value of heritage within its specific sociocultural contexts as well as its
broader Caribbean setting. Written in a style that will both satisfy academic
readers and appeal to the lay public, it provides people from the Anglophone
Caribbean and beyond a published testimony to the diversity of their rich heritage.
Konrad A. Antczak
as a form of identity-creation.
Trinidadian author, C.L.R. James (1980: v) wrote:
I was tired of reading and hearing about Africans being persecuted and
oppressed in Africa, in the Middle Passage, in the USA and all over the
Caribbean. I made up my mind that I would write a book in which
Africans and people of African descent instead of constantly being the
object of other peoples' exploitation and ferocity, would themselves be
taking action on a grand scale and shaping other people to their own
needs.
For the last 450 years, Caribbean history has been, in effect a European
history, and this has been reflected in museum displays. As a result, it
has been of paramount importance that the historical subject-matter in
many displays be reshaped, without which the conspiracy of silence
could continue. The broader imperative behind this movement is one of
discovery, revelation and reconciliation for Caribbean people living in a
region, where independence has had the effect of changing the status
quo.
Young Caribbean nations established from the 1960s onwards,
whether consciously or not, have taken the decision to reclaim their
African heritage and to revitalize a living culture, rather than regret a
stagnated one. The formulation of both national and later regional
cultural policy has been vital to this whole process of change. In the
case of Caribbean museums, this has been a relatively recent
phenomena. But in many cases, museums still continued to portray
African art and material culture as if they were purely ethnographic
relics of the past, rather than evidence of a sentient people and a living
culture.
Editorials by Alissandra Cummins
This volume brings together a wide range of authors, all of whom were born and/or work in the Caribbean, who were invited to contribute essays which explore the current curatorial drive within the Caribbean. The theme of curatorship is considered in its broadest context, and encompasses many different projects and initiatives aimed at creating a platform for the visual arts, making visual art ‘visible’ by bringing it to a wider audience and broadening the critical discussion around it.
institutions, the decolonisation of both academic and museum-based knowledge systems and the construction of interdisciplinary models for museological orientation. It will discuss the development of a pedagogy of museology and curatorship for the Anglophone Caribbean, and preservation and conservation training and practices, critically assessing their efficacy.
through twenty-five essays the diverse contemporary perspectives on Caribbean heritage. It probes the rich range of heritage, from cultural to natural and
tangible to intangible, in the Anglophone Caribbean, principally the two-island
nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The topics covered include, among others, symbolism, literature, linguistics, pedagogy, philanthropy, natural history, ethnobotany, land tenure, townscapes, archaeology, and museology. Patrick Bryan and
Basil Reid introduce the collection by voicing dissatisfaction with the common
definitions of heritage and proposing a less neutral, more inclusive one that
unlocks the rich plurality of the concept.
...In Part v, “Archaeology and Museology,” Margaret E. Leshikar-Denton and
Della A. Scott-Ireton focus on the various exemplary maritime heritage management strategies employed in the Cayman Islands. Andrea Richards offers
a concise assessment of Jamaica’s movable cultural heritage and a proposal for
how to regulate it. The final two essays, one by Alissandra Cummins and one by
Kevin Farmer and Alissandra Cummins, discuss the colonial origins and commercial and political overtones of museums in the Caribbean and the role of
independence and postindependence era museums in decolonization and the
forging of a new Caribbean nationalism and national identities.
Taken together, this volume’s essays suggest that heritage can be considered
virtually limitless...
it reflects the integration of various visions of heritage, from the regional to the local, from the general to the specific, and from informative texts to the more scientifically detailed, offering a balanced view of both extremes of heritage study and the shades of grey in between. The collection is a valuable contribution to the study of Caribbean heritage of the Anglophone islands, underlining the social importance and cultural value of heritage within its specific sociocultural contexts as well as its
broader Caribbean setting. Written in a style that will both satisfy academic
readers and appeal to the lay public, it provides people from the Anglophone
Caribbean and beyond a published testimony to the diversity of their rich heritage.
Konrad A. Antczak
through twenty-five essays the diverse contemporary perspectives on Caribbean heritage. It probes the rich range of heritage, from cultural to natural and
tangible to intangible, in the Anglophone Caribbean, principally the two-island
nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The topics covered include, among others, symbolism, literature, linguistics, pedagogy, philanthropy, natural history, ethnobotany, land tenure, townscapes, archaeology, and museology. Patrick Bryan and Basil Reid introduce the collection by voicing dissatisfaction with the common definitions of heritage and proposing a less neutral, more inclusive one that unlocks the rich plurality of the concept.
...In Part v, “Archaeology and Museology,” ... The final two essays, one by Alissandra Cummins and one by Kevin Farmer and Alissandra Cummins, discuss the colonial origins and commercial and political overtones of museums in the Caribbean and the role of independence and postindependence era museums in decolonization and the
forging of a new Caribbean nationalism and national identities.
Taken together, this volume’s essays suggest that heritage can be considered
virtually limitless...
it reflects the integration of various visions of heritage, from the regional to the local, from the general to the specific, and from informative texts to the more scientifically detailed, offering a balanced view of both extremes of heritage study and the shades of grey in between. The collection is a valuable contribution to the study of Caribbean heritage of the Anglophone islands, underlining the social importance and cultural value of heritage within its specific sociocultural contexts as well as its
broader Caribbean setting. Written in a style that will both satisfy academic
readers and appeal to the lay public, it provides people from the Anglophone
Caribbean and beyond a published testimony to the diversity of their rich heritage.
Konrad A. Antczak
as a form of identity-creation.
Trinidadian author, C.L.R. James (1980: v) wrote:
I was tired of reading and hearing about Africans being persecuted and
oppressed in Africa, in the Middle Passage, in the USA and all over the
Caribbean. I made up my mind that I would write a book in which
Africans and people of African descent instead of constantly being the
object of other peoples' exploitation and ferocity, would themselves be
taking action on a grand scale and shaping other people to their own
needs.
For the last 450 years, Caribbean history has been, in effect a European
history, and this has been reflected in museum displays. As a result, it
has been of paramount importance that the historical subject-matter in
many displays be reshaped, without which the conspiracy of silence
could continue. The broader imperative behind this movement is one of
discovery, revelation and reconciliation for Caribbean people living in a
region, where independence has had the effect of changing the status
quo.
Young Caribbean nations established from the 1960s onwards,
whether consciously or not, have taken the decision to reclaim their
African heritage and to revitalize a living culture, rather than regret a
stagnated one. The formulation of both national and later regional
cultural policy has been vital to this whole process of change. In the
case of Caribbean museums, this has been a relatively recent
phenomena. But in many cases, museums still continued to portray
African art and material culture as if they were purely ethnographic
relics of the past, rather than evidence of a sentient people and a living
culture.
Patrick John ‘Paddy’ Boylan left an indelible mark on our professions and careers, our lives and our hearts. Much more than a colleague, he was both a mentor and muse, a source of wisdom and of inspiration, a committed educator and agent provocateur. Patrick was deeply curious, consistently rigorous, and always courageous in exploring and interpreting the unending opportunities which history, heritage and human endeavour afforded him to research and reveal, interrogate and celebrate. To say that he was the first Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Intangible Heritage does not truly do justice to his legacy. He was in many ways the architect and advocate for significant change in the missions and mindsets of museums and heritage workers
Cuban painter Wifredo Lam and the Martinican writer Aimé Césaire are notable figures in this process. Lam considers his work «The Jungle»
as an act of decolonization and Césaire expresses similar ideas in his work «Notebook of a return to the Native Land». Both meet in Martinique in 1941 and establish a significant friendship and collaboration. Césaire, with surrealist influences, advocates blackness as an affirmation of one›s own identity in the face of the colonial. Lam also draws inspiration from surrealism and associates with avant-garde artists and writers in Paris. During World War II, Lam returns to Cuba, a return which like Césaire's, fuels his creativity. André Breton and Lam visit Haiti in 1945-1946, where Breton shows an interest in Haitian self-taught artists. However, the Center d'Art in Haiti faces problems by prioritizing the so-called Primitive School and ruling out trained artists. Lucien Price collaborates with like-minded artists to open the Foyer des Arts Plastiques as an alternative space. Also featured is Sarah Maldoror, a French West Indian filmmaker who played a significant role in the decolonial movement and Caribbean modernism. She worked closely with leading intellectuals of the day, such as Aimé Césaire and Leon G. Damas, and was one of the first women to make films in Africa, focusing on anti-colonial wars and liberation movements. Using irony and the absurd as critical devices, Maldoror
denounced contemporary racism and colonialism in her films, both in Africa and the Caribbean.
The work is now available for free download at https://bit.ly/46pCqCP Please subscribe for free to keep getting posts.
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November, 2009. In October, 1908 The West India Committee
alerted the Earl of Crewe, as Secretary of State, for the Colonies to an
article due to appear in the West India Committee Circular, on the
subject of the need for the preservation of historic sites, ancient
buildings and monuments in the British West Indies. This was
prompted by the appointment of a Royal Commission to “enumerate
and report on the historic monuments of England.”1 An extract from
the Circular was appended. In it the author suggested that “it is
proverbial that inhabitants of places rich in historical associations
care far less for them than visitors do”, and that on more than one
occasion they “felt compelled to call attention to the seemingly
wanton destruction of some historic building or the desecration of
some tomb which should have been respected and treasured as
a...reminder of the glorious past of our West Indian colonies”. This article reviews significant markers in the advancement of historic preservation in Barbados until the early 1950s.
In its mission to seek greater visibility and better understanding between the two regions, the Foundation publishes a quarterly newsletter in English and Spanish ... Each edition seeks to convey a set of perspectives on a specific topic, from the countries of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
and the Diaspora’ promises to rectify .. to
a significant extent, this enormous gap in the
UK’s internal cognition of itself, both in terms
of its historiographical reconfigurations and
its acknowledgement of the breadth, the range
and the depth of Jamaican artists’ cultural and
visual diversity. Half of the artists shown in the
exhibition live primarily outside of Jamaica,
representing the dynamic and complex process
of diaspora that is seminal to an understanding
of Jamaica and the Caribbean, and what it really
means to be Caribbean.
Edited by Maaike S. de Waal, Niall Finneran & Matthew C. Reilly with Douglas V. Armstrong & Kevin Farmer
With contributions by Alan D. Armstrong, Douglas V. Armstrong, Lindsay Bloch, Liesje Cole-Pragnell, Christopher Crain, Alissandra Cummins, Maaike S. De Waal, Niall Finneran, Scott M. Fitzpatrick, Michael D. Glascock, Alexander Gray, Mary Hill Harris, Laura Hampden, Tara A. Inniss, Quetta Kaye, Alice Lathbury, Rachel Lichtenstein, Derek Miller, Ainsley Norris, Matthew C. Reilly, Kristrina A. Shuler, Hannes Schroeder, Frederick H. Smith, William D. Stevens, Diane Wallman and Lucy Willans.
For more info & pre-order with a discount: https://www.sidestone.com/books/pre-colonial-and-post-contact-archaeology-in-barbados
Set within the context of globalisation and decolonisation, this book draws upon bi-regional research that will enrich our understanding of the complex relationships between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean through museum studies and practice. Chapters reflect upon the role of museums in defining community identities; the importance of young people’s participation and intergenerational work for sustainability; the role of museums in local development; and community-based museums and climate change. Contributors examine these issues through the lens of museum partnerships and practices, as well as testing the continued relevance of the notion of ‘integral museum’ and its relatives in the form of ecomuseums. With its focus on regional museums in Latin America and Caribbean, this book highlights how the case studies promote greater intercultural dialogue, global understanding and social cohesion. It also demonstrates how the methodology can be adapted to other communities who are facing the perils of climate change and unsustainable forms of development.
Communities and Museums in the 21st Century proposes creative and sustainable strategies relevant to a globalised future. With its focus on global societal challenges, this book will appeal to museologists and museum practitioners, as well as those working in heritage studies, cultural studies, memory studies, art history, gender studies, and sustainable development.
work of museums, the question of reparations, and the politics and policies affecting the Caribbean Diasporas in the North Atlantic. This volume adds to the understanding of the dynamics of nation, culture, and economy in the Caribbean.
https://icofom.mini.icom.museum/publications/key-concepts-of-museology/?fbclid=IwAR2rDsofyaMzoSsWERzodUEd-FUk03Tem4OMTYclWRCyyQrIJo7jjHxwOfQ
of relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples of the Commonwealth in the context of traditional museum practices. The symposium examined the means of asserting cultural autonomy and the need for new attitudes and approaches in redefining the keeping place. The degree of development of self-expression and professional infrastructure varies, but a number of common concerns were voiced in an arena of mutual support, culminating in a set of formal resolutions promoting cultural equity.
The proceedings include papers, presentations, round-table responses, and open discussions that reflect current realities in countries such as Belize, Botswana, Nigeria,Vanuatu, Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados among others, as well as a keynote address by Ivan Head, professor of law at the University of British Columbia and special advisor on Commonwealth and foreign affairs (1968-78) to Pierre Trudeau.
Divided into four sections each under the editorial supervision of a
specialist scholar, the papers contained in this volume start with an
overview of different approaches to the pre-contact archaeology of the
island of Barbados and focus upon recent debates and issues surrounding material culture, economic change and site location. Two following sections focus upon recent developments in historical archaeology, looking at a series of urban and plantation case studies, and then the application of scientific techniques to material cultural and ecofactual evidence. The final section considers the social implications of Barbados’ past and recent developments in community heritage, education and management.