Sofia Lovegrove, Shared Cultural Heritage

I have worked at DutchCulture since 2019 as an advisor to the Shared Cultural Heritage programme. I had known about this programme for some time before starting my current position. I am fascinated and inspired by the idea of people from different countries and cultures coming together to work with and reflect on their shared pasts. Personally I think this is particularly important in cases where the past – for instance, the colonial past – continues to have a tangible (and often negative) effect on the present, for instance in forms of inequality and discrimination.

The Shared Cultural Heritage programme is not only about the past and its tangible and intangible remains, but even more so about the present. Working together to understand the past and to create new knowledges about its meanings today fosters a better understanding and stronger connections between different people.

That DutchCulture’s work is focused on enabling, fostering and strengthening international cultural cooperation was another important reason for me to join this wonderful team. With a background in archaeology, over the years I have shifted my focus to critical heritage and memory studies. Besides my work at DutchCulture, I do research in these fields and work as a freelance editor and writer.