Shakespeare's birthplace to be 'de-colonised' over fears his success 'benefits the ideology of white European supremacy'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
William Shakespeare's birthplace will be de-colonised over fears that portraying his success as the 'greatest' playwright 'benefits the ideology of white European supremacy'.
Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust owns buildings in the playwright's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
It wants to 'create a more inclusive museum experience' and announced it will move away from Western perspectives after concerns were raised that Shakespeare's ideas were used to advance 'white supremacy' ideas.
The trust also said that some of its items could contain language or depictions that are racist, sexist, or homophobic.
It comes amid an ongoing backlash against the writer. Some productions of his works have been slapped with trigger warnings for misogyny, racism and 'problematic radicalised dynamics' that link whiteness to beauty.
In 2022, a research project between the trust and Dr Helen Hopkins at the University of Birmingham postulated that the idea of Shakespeare's 'universal' genius 'benefits the ideology of white European supremacy'.
This is because European culture is portrayed as the standard for high art and the playwright as a symbol of British 'superiority', according to The Telegraph .
The project said this narrative has caused harm, and advised that the trust stop saying Shakespeare was the 'greatest' but part of a community of 'equal and different' writers globally.
Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust later received funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, which finances projects that boost diversity and inclusion.
Some of its organised events celebrated Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, and a Romeo and Juli et-inspired Bollywood dance workshop.
The trust also promised to remove offensive language from its collections.
Some of the items at the trust include archived material, literary criticism, books linked to the writer and gifts from around the world offered in honour of him.
A statement from the trust said: 'As part of our ongoing work, we've undertaken a project which explores our collections to ensure they are as accessible as possible.'
In 2021, The Globe Theatre launched a project to ' decolonise' Shakespeare's famous plays , while experts claimed his work is 'problematic' for linking whiteness to beauty.
The London theatre, which is a reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse where William Shakespeare wrote his work, has begun 'anti-racist' seminars to discuss 'decolonising' Shakespeare's esteemed plays .
Experts claimed that the bard's plays are 'problematic' for linking whiteness to beauty, while an academic said all of Shakespeare's plays are 'race plays' as they all contain 'whiteness'.
Also in 2021, it was reported that a growing number of 'woke' academics are refusing to teach Shakespeare in U.S. schools, arguing that the Bard promotes racism, white supremacy and intolerance , and instead are pushing for the teaching of 'modern' alternatives.
Writing in School Library Journal, Amanda MacGregor, a Minnesota-based librarian, bookseller and freelance journalist, asked why teachers were continuing to include Shakespeare in their classrooms.
'Shakespeare's works are full of problematic, outdated ideas, with plenty of misogyny, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism and misogynoir,' she wrote, with the last word referring to a hatred of black women.
But others contended the latest woke trend is short-sighted, not taking into account the lessons that Shakespeare still can teach for today - with one New York Times best-selling author accusing schools that jettison the writer as 'flushing great literature down the drain'.
In 2023, The Globe gave Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream a 'misogyny and racism' warning.
The comedy, telling the tale of four rebellious lovers who get lost in a magical forest, is set to run from April as part of the venue's summer programme.
The warning read: 'Content guidance: The play contains language of violence, sexual references, misogyny and racism.' The online guidance ends with a plea to those concerned about its themes to contact the ticketing team for further details on the play's content.
The venue is a replica of the original Globe theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were first seen, so is closely associated with the Bard.
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Future historians will marvel at a civilization commiting suicide.
Decolonizing stratford upon avon should be fun to see. I'm pretty sure Labour won't deport the colonizers living there now, so maybe they'll will to return it to what it was when the Corieltauvi occupied it? Being back the druids and human sacrifice?
They will probably also wonder if these idiots read Mao and decided his cultural revolution ideas were great. Destroy your own past and exorcize any ideas from elsewhere.
'Shakespeare's works are full of problematic, outdated ideas, with plenty of misogyny, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism and misogynoir,' she wrote, with the last word referring to a hatred of black women."
Mayb yes, but perhaps not. Shakespeare was a man of his times, and his writing reflects the reality his views, certainly shared by many of his contemporaries and readers. I wonder why all this condemnation of "whiteness" has become so prevalent. Are some trying to rewrite history?
A large segment of white progressives hate western civilization and want to destroy it.
I think even minorities are tired of the daily self-flagellation of white progressives.
This is because European culture is portrayed as the standard for high art and the playwright as a symbol of British 'superiority', according to The Telegraph .
It isn't portrayed as such. It IS the standard for high art.
I'll be the first to commend any other culture that can succeed the standard that the Europeans set for Literature. I have the Americans in a very close second.
People sure do have diverse opinions.