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Knowledge Transfer Project
Cornish Studies at the Royal Cornwall Museum
The Royal Cornwall Museum is hosting an exciting collaborative project with the Institute of Cornish Studies, a research institute located at the University of Exeter's Cornwall campus, near Penryn.
The Institute of Cornish Studies is dedicated to the study of a wide range of issues related to Cornwall, such as politics and nationalism, the Cornish identity, the Cornish family, surnames and migration. Its research is feeding into the popular interest in Cornwall's heritage, its historic identity and the growing role of the cultural industries in Cornwall's regeneration. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council until the end of May 2009, the Knowledge Transfer Fellowship award is supporting the sharing of knowledge between academics and museum staff.
The museum’s existing displays date from the 1980s and a major re-design of its galleries is planned to display a themed story of Cornwall's social and economic development to this day. Using the latest academic research the project will provide input into the Museum's production of information panels and interactive audio-visual and online material. A year-long joint lecture programme will start in June 2008, joint publications are being planned, and teaching resources will be produced, relevant to the higher education sector and adults. All these exciting activities will help the museum strengthen its role as a significant base for research on Cornwall and its past, and both the museum and Institute will reach new audiences.
“This is a fabulous opportunity to work in partnership with the Institute of Cornish Studies – it will be very much a two way process. We will be able to embrace current research on Cornish history and ensure our redisplay and learning programmes are right up to date, and the Institute of Cornish Studies will benefit from the collections-based knowledge here at the museum. We will be able to communicate this combined knowledge to a much wider audience - between us we can make Cornish history really accessible.”
Sara Chambers, Head of Collections, Royal Cornwall Museum
The programme of events, commencing in June 2008, will bring together researchers from the Institute, museum staff and the general public. Talks, lectures and workshops will include topics on: the work of A L Rowse and John Betjeman; the politics of identity; origins of surnames in Cornwall; family history; and collections research. These events will feed into the museum’s re-display initiatives as well as into the University’s teaching resources. In May 2009, a one-day symposium will bring the project to a close. To be held at the Tremough Campus, near Penryn, and hosted by the Institute, the day will be one of reflection and looking forward, raising questions of what heritage means.
Click here to view the Event Page.
“This project will translate academic research expertise to give a fresh look to Cornish history. We are excited about the possibilities this brings to give our research a wider impact and we are keen to learn from the museum’s subject specialists. There is currently a considerable popular interest in Cornwall’s heritage and its historic identity, and this project reflects the growing role of the cultural industries in Cornwall’s regeneration.”
Bernard Deacon, Senior Lecturer, Cornish Studies, University of Exeter.
