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BRIEFS
The Idea of a Human Rights Museum
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS SERIES
Conceptual Drawing of Internationally
renowned and award-winning architect
Antoine Predoc’s design of The Canadian
Museum for Human Rights
By Greg Boese
Some of the University of
Manitoba’s most creative
researchers explored The Idea of a
Human Rights Museum in a series
of independent conversations
this academic year, encouraging
everyone to think about the human
rights museum already emerging
on Winnipeg’s skyline.
Stuart Murray, CEO of the
Canadian Museum for Human
Rights, kicked off the Critical
Conversations series in September
with a speech at Robson Hall. “I
don’t think there’s any question
about Winnipeg becoming the
known epicenter for human rights
research in Canada,” he said.
The seminars covered
a wide range of topics,
including Aboriginal rights
and perspectives within the
museum, exhibit content and
development, and museum
technology. Winnipeg lawyer
and chair of the museum’s
Content Advisory Committee,
Yude Henetleff, recounted
a two-year odyssey to talk
with Canadians about their
aspirations for the museum.
Many speakers related their own
work on human rights to issues
faced by the new museum. The
Dean of Architecture, Ralph
Stern and Dr. Stephan Jaegar
(German and Slavic Studies)
talked about museums and
remembrance in the context of
post-war Germany. Dr. Tina Chen
(History) spoke about museums
and class struggle in China. Dr.
Jorge Nállim (History) provided
an overview of commemoration
efforts following the Argentinean
“Dirty War,” and Dr. Maria Cheung
(Social Work) and Robson Hall
instructor David Matas discussed
the history and persecution of
the Falun Gong in China.
Several speakers, including Dr. Neil
McArthur from Philosophy and Dr.
Steven Lecce from Political Studies,
discussed how Winnipeg’s new
museum could conceptualize the
idea of human rights. “Once you
ditch the whole God, church, and
Bible thing, there needs to be some
work done on what are rights,”
McArthur said.
“If human rights are going to
have any kind of real status,
they have to be rooted in the
way things are. At the very
least, the way we are as people.
They are human rights. The
word human has to matter.”
Other speakers discussed ways the
museum might teach the public
about human rights. According
to Dr. Christopher Powell
(Sociology), the museum could
adopt a “comforting” narrative that
celebrates Canada’s human rights
record and peacekeeping, while
ignoring human rights violations.
A different approach would
involve a more “challenging”
narrative that is not afraid to
examine the complexities of
Canada’s rights practices.
“We’re trying to balance it,”
museum curator Tricia Logan said.
“Trying to make sure the narrative
isn’t glossed over or sugar-coated,
but it’s also not complete misery
and complete hopelessness in
each of those narratives.”
Professor David Petrasek, an
Associate Professor from the
Graduate School of Public and
International Affairs at the
University of Ottawa, expressed
concern. “Does exposing the
bigotry of our past generations
lead to a rigorous scrutiny of
our own?” Petrasek asked. “The
Museum for Human Rights
should be judged not on the basis
of whether by visiting it people
can better understand historical
instances of abuse, but whether it
opens their eyes to present abuse
at home and abroad and equips
them to ask probing questions
about the future.”
A collection of essays by seminar
presenters and others, tentatively
titled, “The Idea of a Human
Rights Museum” will be published
by the University of Manitoba
Press in 2014.
All seminars were open to the public at
no charge. Read written summaries or
listen to podcasts at chrr.info/resources/
critical-conversations.
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, FACULTY OF LAW robsonhall.ca 8