Telegraph reports Shakespeare museum will undergo 'decolonization' amid claims of 'white supremacy'
A study has suggested that viewing the bard as a “universal” genius perpetuates ‘white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric’ ideologies. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) intends to “decolonize” its vast museum collections after research claimed...
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A study has suggested that viewing the bard as a “universal” genius perpetuates ‘white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric’ ideologies.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) intends to “decolonize” its vast museum collections after research claimed that William Shakespeare’s legacy has been utilized to promote ‘white supremacy,’ according to The Telegraph.
The SBT, which oversees properties associated with Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and manages important archival materials, is investigating the “continued impact of Empire” on its collections and how “Shakespeare’s work has played a part in this,” the publication reported on Sunday.
The initiative is said to be a response to a 2022 study conducted with Dr. Helen Hopkins from Birmingham City University, which challenged the way the trust portrays Shakespeare as a “universal” genius—an idea alleged to “benefit the ideology of white European supremacy.”
The research asserted that depicting the English playwright’s work as the benchmark for high art reinforces “white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric, and increasingly ‘West-centric’ worldviews that continue to do harm in the world today.”
In its “decolonization” efforts, the SBT has arranged events to celebrate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and a ‘Romeo and Juliet’-themed Bollywood dance workshop, as reported by The Telegraph.
The SBT's latest initiative has incurred backlash online. Conservative academic and writer Adrian Hilton decried it on X as “quite mad.” He praised Shakespeare as “the greatest in history: an unparalleled mind, undisputed genius, and the most magnificent jewel in the crown of British culture,” questioning why the Trust would seek to undermine its reputation with such actions.
Political commentator Darren Grimes noted that “the man who shaped the English language is now a problem because his greatness is too… British.”
User Bernie expressed concern that “everything we know and love is being destroyed on the altar of liberalism,” while another user, iamyesyouareno, interpreted the Trust’s choice as a direct attack on cultural values, stating: “They despise everything you find important and seek to humiliate you.” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared the sentiment with a repost and two exclamation marks.
Shakespeare is widely acknowledged as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s foremost dramatist. His works, including ‘Hamlet,’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ and ‘Henry V,’ have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) intends to “decolonize” its vast museum collections after research claimed that William Shakespeare’s legacy has been utilized to promote ‘white supremacy,’ according to The Telegraph.
The SBT, which oversees properties associated with Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and manages important archival materials, is investigating the “continued impact of Empire” on its collections and how “Shakespeare’s work has played a part in this,” the publication reported on Sunday.
The initiative is said to be a response to a 2022 study conducted with Dr. Helen Hopkins from Birmingham City University, which challenged the way the trust portrays Shakespeare as a “universal” genius—an idea alleged to “benefit the ideology of white European supremacy.”
The research asserted that depicting the English playwright’s work as the benchmark for high art reinforces “white Anglo-centric, Eurocentric, and increasingly ‘West-centric’ worldviews that continue to do harm in the world today.”
In its “decolonization” efforts, the SBT has arranged events to celebrate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and a ‘Romeo and Juliet’-themed Bollywood dance workshop, as reported by The Telegraph.
The SBT's latest initiative has incurred backlash online. Conservative academic and writer Adrian Hilton decried it on X as “quite mad.” He praised Shakespeare as “the greatest in history: an unparalleled mind, undisputed genius, and the most magnificent jewel in the crown of British culture,” questioning why the Trust would seek to undermine its reputation with such actions.
Political commentator Darren Grimes noted that “the man who shaped the English language is now a problem because his greatness is too… British.”
User Bernie expressed concern that “everything we know and love is being destroyed on the altar of liberalism,” while another user, iamyesyouareno, interpreted the Trust’s choice as a direct attack on cultural values, stating: “They despise everything you find important and seek to humiliate you.” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared the sentiment with a repost and two exclamation marks.
Shakespeare is widely acknowledged as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s foremost dramatist. His works, including ‘Hamlet,’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ and ‘Henry V,’ have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
