Impact case study database

Research by Shaw on film star Carmen Miranda and the ‘chanchada’ tradition in Brazilian cinema, particularly her explorations of the reasons for the enduring appeal of, and potential wellbeing benefits of group watching of both, and research by Hallam on the history of film culture in Liverpool, have directly inspired the creation, use and application of the downloadable ‘Cinema, Memory and Wellbeing’ (CMW) Toolkit for carers (available in English and Portuguese) which has been widely adopted in the UK and Brazil. The Toolkit’s methodology, refined over a series of pilot projects in both countries involving Rowan Garth BUPA care home, Liverpool (25 residents), the Fazenda Inglesa GP practice, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil (68 older adult users), and Company Matters4U day care centre, Liverpool (60 older adult users), and related training provision devised and delivered by Shaw, have contributed to the strengthening of carer resilience and the development of additional skills for carers/health professionals. This has led to significant changes in practice regarding the use of films with the residents of nursing homes and users of day care centres and GP practices (Merseyside and Brazil), as well as changes in practice regarding the running of age-/dementia-friendly cinema screenings and the use of film with participants of film clubs for the socially isolated (Merseyside and Manchester) and patients on NHS dementia wards (Greater Manchester). A further impact of adoption of the Toolkit methodology, rooted in Shaw and Hallam’s respective research on film/TV audiences and their collaborative research on how audio-visual stimuli can be best used as a reminiscence tool among older adults and those living with dementia, has been a positive change in the observed behaviour and wellbeing of participants in CMW activities, as well as improvements in relationships between carers and cared-for, and between the cared-for.

In 2018 Shaw implemented the Toolkit during a 4-week CMW Film Club at the Lar São João de Deus nursing home in Itaipava, Petrópolis, a centre of excellence for dementia care, conducting parallel research into its effectiveness for those living with dementia. This involved 33 participants (18 residents, 5 of whom had a dementia diagnosis and 2 others with cognitive impairments of different kinds; and 15 older adults from the local community who attend the home’s day care centre). The Toolkit/methodology has since been adopted by care homes, individual carers (paid and unpaid), charities, cultural institutions and health care providers in the UK and Brazil, leading to positive changes for older adults, the socially isolated (particularly during the Covid-19 lockdown), those living with dementia and their carers. (Adopters in Brazil: 6 community health workers [ACSs] at Fazenda Inglesa GP practice; 4 care staff at Lar SJdD; 38 carers/health workers who attended Toolkit training at Museu da Imagem e do Som [MIS], Campinas; Adopters in the UK: 8 staff at Company Matters4U day care centres and Rowan Garth care home; 12 volunteers at Alzheimer’s Society [Sefton, 29.1.2020]; 12 unpaid carers; 25 attendees of Toolkit training at the Plaza Community Cinema [13% family carers; 20% from community charities; 47% from residential care homes; 20% NHS employees]; 14 Manchester versions of the Toolkit used in NHS hospital dementia wards/ day care centres in 11.2020).

The adoption of the Toolkit methodology has strengthened carers’ resilience and sense of worth in their role and developed additional skills and provided cost-effective resources and tools for carers/health professionals. A community health worker ( agente comunitário de saúde - ACS) at the Fazenda Inglesa GP practice (Ana Beatriz Renter, questionnaire, 10.10.2017, 5.1) said: “I was actually thinking of leaving the profession but after the event I had second thoughts, as I realised my job was worthwhile and that I was needed. I felt more valued. In our team we became closer afterwards, even with difficult colleagues.” Another ACS (Zélia Sousa, video testimony transcript, 1.7.2015, 5.1) said: “It gave me more motivation, I had more desire to work. You gave us more ideas.” A speech and language therapist who used the Toolkit with people with dementia in the UK said: “It was a positive experience for staff to discuss people’s experiences relating to the film footage – helping to see the depth and complexity of people’s lives.” She gave the following example: “Conversations with one resident led to discussions about their time living in South Africa which was particularly interesting. Interesting subjects and stories like this can help build relationships between staff and patients and to get better insight into the lives that people have lived” (Ellen McGowan, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, 16.12.2020, 5.8). Claire Marrett (Together Dementia Support) added: “I have been able to use it to ‘fill in the gaps’ where I have known some of the life history of people but have not had the tools to help them elaborate on talking about this time in this [sic] life” (16.12.2020, 5.8).

CMW events and the Toolkit led to significant changes in working practices. The Fazenda Inglesa GP practice in Brazil now runs a social group specifically for older people focused on conversation and reminiscence, and the ACSs have chosen to do further training to work with older adults. (Zélia Sousa questionnaire 25.11.2019, 5.1). Eleanor O’Hanlon, managing director of the Company Matters4U day care centres in Liverpool confirmed that her “staff have mirrored techniques used at the [CMW] event (to encourage people to join in).” ( 5.3) A carer at Waterloo Park Day Centre, Merseyside said: “Since using the Toolkit we have changed the way that we have been doing reminiscence groups. We have ensured that we only use smaller clips […] so people who are living with dementia can retain the information easier, don’t get as distracted.” (video testimony of care assistant Leah Rossindale, 5.2) 100% of the attendees at the Toolkit training at the Plaza Community Cinema reported that they would change their current practice in response to the Toolkit, and incorporate additional activities suggested in it. (67% said they would now use the short clip + interactive break format; 67% would combine archive footage with music; and 67% would incorporate group discussions into film events.) 12 months after the training, changes had been embedded at Sefton New Directions adult care services, as confirmed by care assistant Frances Deaves: “After we were invited to join you last October at your cinema, memory and wellbeing event […], we took away some really useful tips and used the tool kit to enhance our reminiscence activities. We recreated our TV lounge to look more like a cinema with rows of comfy chairs and dimmed lights. We shortened the time that we screened a film into two halves with a drink and a snack in between as we realized a full film can be too long for those living with dementia to concentrate on.” ( 5.6). Of the attendees at the Toolkit training at the MIS-Campinas, 55% declared that they would make a change in response to the Toolkit; 51% would make a change to what activities they offer and how they offer them; 21% noted significant changes that they would make to their current practice (e.g. changing how films are introduced, giving older adults the opportunity to talk about feelings in relation to cinematic memories); and 30% who had never used film in their current settings planned to introduce film activities through use of the Toolkit. Brazilian care home psychologist Marly de Souza Galvão stated: “I work with old people and I would like to take back to my team this activity to be carried out in our institution. […] I am in charge of a home for 21 old people and I am going to introduce this project there because it will undoubtedly be very good for the home.” ( 5.7) An NHS occupational therapist (OT) who used the Toolkit with dementia inpatients said that the format of the CMW session also made him and his colleagues consider new ways of focussing purely on group reminiscence rather than weaving elements of reminiscence into other group activities like baking, adding that “having used the CMW concept it has prompted us to consider focussing on regular Reminiscent [sic] groups” (Shaun Dorrington, email, 15.12.2020, 5.8).

The CMW project and Toolkit have also changed how cinemas/cultural institutions embed age-/dementia-friendly film screenings into their activities. According to Community Engagement Manager of the Plaza Community Cinema in Crosby, Merseyside (video testimony of Christine Physick, 5.2): “Before working on this project I’d wanted […] to include some creativity [to dementia-friendly screenings] with the groups, rather than people just coming to watch a film […] so that for me would be the lesson or learning I’ve taken from this […] We would be looking at doing a lot more creative, arts-based projects […] with a view to linking it to some of the films.” Planned CMW events for socially isolated older people in partnership with the charities Liverpool Cares and Manchester Cares were replaced during the Covid-19 lockdown with a CMW Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/pg/cinemamemoryandwellbeing) featuring weekly posts of a variety of short film clips and weekly live Zoom ‘social clubs’ based on the CMW model, involving on average 15-20 participants. Manchester Cares will adopt the CMW methodology when it resumes its face-to-face film clubs. Heather Madden (Social Clubs Coordinator, testimony 13.7.2020, 5.5) stated: “Going forward I intend to use the CMW method in a variety of ways. Firstly, I will do some social clubs that feature documentary shorts all on a particular theme. I will then have shorter discussions in between each short […] On evenings when I do have feature length documentaries, I will try to plan it in a way that allows for several pauses for reflection and shorter discussions at points during the film instead of just one big discussion at the end.” The Facebook page further engaged members of the public (as of 31.12.2020: 342 followers;) and a Portuguese-language version was created in partnership with the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS-Campinas) (as of 31.12.2020: 365 followers).

CMW events and the Toolkit have led to a positive change in observed behaviour and wellbeing of older adult participants, including those living with dementia; Eleanor O’Hanlon of Company Matters4U day care centre noted that “after the event a few of the more shy [sic] males were more confident in joining in with activities […] A lady who previously wouldn’t sing on the microphone on the karaoke (afternoon) now joins in with gusto.” (13.11.2017, 5.3) The CMW methodology (short clip format + interaction/ discussion) had the following effect on participants in Manchester Cares social clubs, as Heather Madden (Social Clubs Coordinator) stated: “I have noticed a positive change in the way people interact at the weekly CMW chats compared to how they are at face-to-face screenings of longer films. The key positive change I have noticed is around the content of conversation. Generally, at face to face film nights people will spend a lot of time ‘catching up’, talking about their days/weeks or upcoming plans. During the weekly zoom chats there has been a lot more in-depth and personal discussions.” (testimony 13.7.2020, 5.5). Abbie Beckett (Social Clubs Coordinator at Liverpool Cares) said that the CMW methodology “has definitely changed the way that I will run social clubs going forward. I think there’s a real want for the CMW clubs to continue in some way face-to-face after lockdown is over, and neighbours love watching the short video clips to both bring back memories and discuss with their friends.” ( 5.5). An NHS occupational therapist who used the CMW Toolkit with dementia inpatients stated that “Occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) report that seeing their patients’ therapeutic engagement and pleasure they gained from watching the clips was very moving”, adding that the use of the Toolkit “created group discussion, was thought provoking and had a positive impact on patient wellbeing. One particular patient’s mood was elevated positively after the group, from his pre-occupied state before the group” (Shaun Dorrington, email questionnaire, 15.12.2020, 5.8). Jo Davies, manager of a day centre for people with dementia, said of her experience of using the CMW method: “it brought out many memories and conversations to clients who normally sat back and listened rather than taking part […] By giving them time in smaller groups or a one to one they blossomed” (email, 15.12.2020, 5.8). After using the Toolkit with dementia inpatients, speech and language therapist Ellen McGowan said: “One particular benefit was it being a good distraction for a patient who was agitated on the ward and repeatedly asking to go to bed – [he] got engaged with the film and started talking about his university days at Manchester”. She added that its use “[r]educed agitation, increased activity, got people communicating with each other” (16.12.2020, 5.8) .

Use of the Toolkit in organising film events led to an improvement in the relationship between carers and cared-for, and between the cared-for. One of the ACSs at the GP practice in Brazil (Ana Beatriz Renter questionnaire 10.10.2017, 5.1) said that “My view of the old people changed – I discovered that they need more attention, company, affection, more activities specifically for them. […] Before the public had a more formal relationship with us (health workers) – but after seeing us in fancy dress they are now more at ease with us, more willing to talk and open up to us. It has helped break down barriers between us and the patients. They now invite all of us (ACSs) to go into their home (before the event they wouldn’t let us in, and we dealt with them on the doorstep)”. This improved relationship has continued, as confirmed by the same ACS in a testimony of 25.11.2019 ( 5.1): “Thanks to the work Lisa [Shaw] did here at the health centre and her help, the health team learned how to care more for the old people, give them more attention, and actively seek them out, making the old people more interested in events like this one (the film event), they participated more and were happier. This would not have happened without Lisa’s cinema project and her research in this area.” The newly arrived resident priest at the dementia nursing home in Brazil, which also runs a free day care centre for older adults who live locally, noted how the project broke down barriers between the two groups, providing a focus (film clips and the reminiscences triggered) that enabled them to identify with each other and find something in common: “The ones from outside the home, who are more agile, approached those in wheelchairs [residents], they all came together, there was no division […] they helped each other.” He continued: “It [the CMW Film Club) gives value to their [the older adults’] lives as they are. They are people with a history. They can feel that today, for us, the history they have lived through in the past continues to be important. That has made a big difference to them. It has been very useful for me, enabling me to create closer links with them.” (Padre Guilherme, audio testimony 1.8.2018, 5.4). The impact of the CMW project was recognised by Shaw’s shortlisting for an AHRC/Wellcome Trust Medical Humanities Award for Best International Research (2020).

Marsh’s research on comparative imperial histories has inspired artistic practices and supported curatorial interpretation of the global histories of objects; in turn, this has influenced public understandings of how cross-cultural encounters in the past have shaped place and society in the twenty-first century.

4.1 Inspiring Artistic Practices and the Creation of New Art Works

Marsh’s research inspired new forms of artistic expression through the creation of a substantial new body of work by The Singh Twins [text removed for publication] .^5.2 The Twins are distinguished for their artworks that deal with socio-political issues surrounding heritage and identity, and they continue to have work exhibited in public and private collections around the world. Amongst many other prestige appointments, the Singh Twins, were awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2011 for services to art, and appointed official Artists in Residence at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. They have had numerous exhibitions across the UK and internationally, including at major galleries in Mumbai, New Delhi, Toronto, California, and Texas. The co-designed Slaves of Fashion project resulted in the Singh Twins’ ongoing creation of a new body of work, as well as the joint delivery of a major new exhibition and associated events for public audiences

Marsh’s research was key support to the successful completion of an initial set of twenty new artworks with historical themes. As The Twins stated, ‘Kate provided historical insight, references and sources from her own research, stimulating our thinking … inform[ing] our creative practice and directly shap[ing] and influenc[ing it]’. ^5.1 For example, in the artwork Coromandel: Sugar and Spice, not so nice, key elements such as the Dutch costume and the inclusion of images of Coromandel birds and a tree bearing fruit are inspired and drawn from the collaboration and Marsh’s research. Symbolism and Interconnectedness informed by the research are even more explicit in Indiennes: The Extended Triangle, with the ambivalence of the piece underlining how far wealth in mainland Europe stemmed from trade overseas, and evoking the ending of slavery on Saint-Domingue. These artworks are currently part of The Twins’ private touring collection [text removed for publication] . In addition to this, the artists have created a series of ten large scale tapestry interpretations of the original artworks, also informed by Marsh’s research, that have already generated international interest [text removed for publication] .^5.1

Following the Slaves of Fashion exhibition, Marsh’s inspiration generated longer-term benefits for the artists. The exhibition at the Walker led to a new commission for the Twins from the Royal Collection Trust, which was displayed as part of the Splendours of the Subcontinent exhibition at Buckingham Palace, and the Twins’ work Rule Britannia: Legacies of Exchange now has a lasting presence on the Royal Collection Trust website. ^5.3 Additionally, the exhibition led to a collaboration with Manchester Museum in 2019, and a new triptych (now part of the original series) that commemorates the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. ^5.1 [text removed for publication].^5.2

4.2 Informing Exhibition Practices and Curatorial Understanding

The resulting exhibition of The Twins’ work, entitled Slaves of Fashion, was staged at the Walker Art Gallery (National Museums Liverpool) and Wolverhampton Art Gallery (WAG). It presented twenty new artworks by the twins, displays of objects from the collections of National Museums Liverpool (NML), and a series of video installations in which Marsh provided unprecedented insights. The latter revealed how everyday historical objects contain hidden histories of imperial conquest and exploitation. The exhibition attracted thousands of visitors to the galleries, 105,520 at NML and 39,400 at Wolverhampton, more than doubling the target audience. ^5.4 In evaluating this achievement, the project curator at NML explained, ‘there is no doubt that the academic rigour of the research underpinning the exhibition, provided by Kate Marsh, was an important aspect of its success’. The extensive scholarly work of Marsh provided curators with the confidence to explore new curatorial strategies as well as enabling institutional engagement for the first-time with ways in which items in the museum’s collections are linked to Britain’s colonial past, histories of conflict, enslavement and empire. The NML curator noted that Kate’s involvement ‘enabled us to build on our commitment to confronting challenging issues in our exhibitions and displays’ explaining that this was ‘the first time that we had put on an exhibition of this scale, focusing on these topics’. In light of seeing the exhibition at Wolverhampton, the curators of the Norwich Museum and Art Gallery have now scheduled an exhibition of Slaves of Fashion for 2022. ^5.1

Moreover, Marsh’s work with NML and WAG in the context of the exhibitions offered a fresh model for interpreting historical objects alongside new artworks to tell histories of cross-cultural transfer and translation, which have influenced future curatorial work. Indeed, the NML curator explained that ‘[Marsh] heightened my own awareness of how objects in our collection are linked to Britain’s colonial past in ways that are not always immediately obvious’. ^5.4 The curatorial approach modelled by Marsh also received much attention in reviews of Slaves of Fashion and was particularly highlighted by visitors as an enjoyable element of the exhibition which challenged them to think differently.^5.4 The Heritage Lab highlighted that ‘a touch screen featuring academic responses by Prof Kate Marsh […] reveals the fascinating hidden histories behind selected objects’. ^5.7 Visitors to the Wolverhampton gallery praised the research-informed videos in which Marsh explains the significance of the artworks, with one visitor stating that the histories embedded within these interactive features, not only ‘provided a narrative to the exhibition but allowed the wider viewing audience to better understand the journey of the artefacts and craftsmanship depicted. Making the whole exhibition an educationally enriched experience of better understanding history and heritage’. ^5.9 Marsh’s collaboration with The Singh Twins and gallery professionals resulted in enhancements to the interpretation of the exhibition, and in turn, this contributed to the quality of the visitor experience.

4.3 Influencing Public Understanding of Cross-Cultural Encounters and Consumerism

At the Walker Art Gallery, the exhibition’s examination of how far Indian culture has shaped ‘British’ identity stimulated capacity for self-reflection and understanding of prejudice in twenty-first-century society: one visitor remarked that it provided a ‘different perspective on the British Empire to that which I am accustomed’ and another said that it provided ‘many historical details not taught’ in schools. ^5.5. Marsh’s research-led engagement with diverse audiences through the exhibition and a corresponding workshop at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery (WAG) increased interest in and understanding of the heritage themes and issues at the centre of The Twins’ artwork. This generated changes in individual perspectives and enabled community engagement with the legacies of cross-cultural encounters, consumerism, and imperialism. Visitor feedback to the exhibition and workshop revealed that explicit parallels drawn between slavery and current global practices had encouraged people to reflect on historical and contemporary cross-cultural encounters, and also inspired changes to consumer habits.

The workshop at WAG led by Marsh in August 2018 was attended by 100 delegates and resulted in changes to participants’ perception of global problems. The event changed the way participants thought about their own buying habits. Attendees stated that they were now aware of ‘ethical manufacturers/suppliers/organisations’, and also acknowledged that in making their own clothes, they would be ‘much more aware about buying my fabric’ and ‘will now think and ask more about […] “who made my fabric”’. ^5.8 The symposium evoked reflection on environmental impact(s) of consumerism and buying choices, for instance, one participant was ‘concerned by the impact of palm oil plantations on the environment’, and was encouraged to ‘look at what I buy more carefully’. ^5.8 Moreover, others claimed that the event had encouraged them to ‘shop/buy more sustainably’, and that it had reinforced their ‘commitment to making a difference through […] daily choices’. ^5.8 This research-led event enabled new ways of thinking amongst this audience, leading them to consider how their habits were (and continued to be) part of a global network of cross-cultural encounters. The Slaves of Fashion exhibition also received much media interest, engaging broader audiences with the interrelated themes of Empire, colonialism, conflict, slavery and luxury lifestyle, with Slaves of Fashion profiled on BBC Television's 'North West Tonight', ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The One Show’, and one of the regional documentaries commissioned for the BBC’s ‘Civilisations’ series. ^5.3

4.4 Inspiring Diverse Community Engagement with the Legacies of Imperialism

Marsh’s role in foregrounding the topical issues at the heart of the Slaves of Fashion exhibition influenced secondary civic and community encounters with the artworks and subject matter. Her research-led engagement enhanced cultural participation with the exhibition amongst marginalised and diverse audiences, with particular resonance for female audiences from a variety of backgrounds. As the NML anonymized visitor feedback to Slaves of Fashion shows, diverse and specific audiences found inspiration in the exhibition’s content, and its modern-day relevance stimulated further engagement beyond their initial visit; for instance, a teacher who visited stated that they would ‘be showing this to my students as inspiration for all, but in particular our Asian women students’; whilst another visitor was inspired to ‘use ideas raised from this [exhibition] in the Processions Suffrage Project’. ^5.5 Take for example, the teacher who stated that a Year 9 art student had been so inspired by Slaves of Fashion that they decided to focus their EPQ project on ‘whether fashion could be sustainable and ethical’, using ideas on ‘slave labour, politics and consumerism’ from the exhibition in order to create a dress from recycled plastics. ^5.10 A teacher at the Khalsa Academy, Wolverhampton, attended the exhibition and workshop, and used the material Marsh provided ‘to organise educational visits to the exhibition for marginalised groups such as E.A.L. young people and retired elderly Asian women’. ^5.9 They also found that ‘Kate’s research findings helped […] deliver a real narrative to the exhibition, bring the visual art to life and giving each piece a meaning for the groups that visited the exhibition’. ^5.9 In particular, they reported that ‘the group of retired elderly Asian women were especially moved by hearing the research/ story behind the symbolic artistic interpretations created by The Singh Twins and gave these women a link to their past heritage’. ^5.9

The collaboration on Slaves of Fashion continues to have a lasting impact on the artists themselves, their future plans, and audiences. The Twins have plans for a coffee table fine art book that will feature Marsh’s essay response to the series. Furthermore, the artists aim to find a permanent home for this work: ‘[o]ur vision is to have this as a dedicated gallery and educational resource which honours Kate's contribution and memory: a place to engage with and enjoy art but also to encourage debate and raise public awareness about hidden histories of Empire and Colonialism that have universal relevance to diverse communities and continue to impact on modern society. […] We envision creating something […] which delivers the aims that we originally shared with Kate to create a cultural offer that is accessible in it's presentation and interpretation: adopting an interdisciplinary approach (combining artistic, curatorial and academic perspectives) to exploring history and historical artifacts’. ^5.1

Rosenhaft’s research has had impacts in Britain, Europe the United States and East Asia. Through collaboration and public engagement work, she has directly influenced the practice of museum professionals, educators and public policy practitioners in the field, improving professional understanding and commemoration of the Romani Holocaust. The impacts that these collaborations will have on wider public knowledge and attitudes in the future are anticipated in the responses of audiences to her own exhibitions, which have prompted individuals in the majority communities to reflect on their own histories and think about the kinds of action for change that they might take, and contributed to the empowerment of the survivor and wider Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities.

Rosenhaft has supported professionals and organisations in adapting to changing evaluations of Holocaust history and shaping a more inclusive picture of the past. Impacts on museum practice followed collaborations with the Imperial War Museum London (IWM) and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). In 2021 the IWM will complete the GBP30,500,000 overhaul of its World War II galleries, incorporating new Holocaust Galleries. The Museum’s interest in integrating Romani history, its commitment to combating stereotypes, its strategic decision to ‘draw heavily upon … unique personal stories’ and the relative unfamiliarity of IWM staff with the specifics of the Romani genocide made Rosenhaft’s research particularly relevant. Between November 2017 and March 2020 Rosenhaft had face-to-face meetings, extended telephone calls and e-mail exchanges with IWM staff. She advised on the historical events, the state of current scholarship, terminology and the like, and both the materials and the approach used in her exhibition have informed the museum’s portrayal of the lives of Sinti and Roma before and during the Holocaust. The Curator of the Holocaust Galleries writes: ‘Your own academic research and our lengthy discussions have influenced our presentation of Roma experiences of the Holocaust, ensuring it is not only accurate but also sensitive … The team feels confident that your assistance will impact visitor understanding …’ ( 5.1)

In 2018 Rosenhaft co-led the Hess Seminar for HE teachers at the USHMM, which in that year focused on the persecution of Sinti and Roma. The seminar reflected the Museum's internal project of ‘improving the visibility of and user access to resources on the Romani Holocaust and revising the Permanent Exhibition to take account of that history’. ( 5.2) A core event was a set of conversations with museum curators about the representation of the Romani genocide in the galleries, which prompted continuing discussions among curators about both gallery presentations and event programming. ( 5.3)

Engagement with the USHMM also led to changes to teaching content and practice. Hess Seminar participants characterised it as ‘a wonderful addition to my teaching’; ‘It was outstanding. Enriching. Important … [T]he seminar changed me …changed and improved my teaching skills’; ‘one of the most useful professional experiences I have had as a scholar’. ( 5.4) Participants have since reported specific changes to curricula and syllabi at HEIs in Maryland, North Carolina and South Dakota (where the Romani case is being deployed in teaching to Native American students and about the Native American experience). Ethnomusicologist Dr Siv Lie (U Maryland) comments on how Rosenhaft’s ‘wealth of knowledge and experience with teaching this subject helped us to develop effective approaches to pedagogy and awareness raising’. She writes of her own new module in Romani music: ‘Dr Rosenhaft’s research … shaped my approach to this unit and helped guide some very difficult but productive discussions.’ ( 5.5)

In the UK, Rosenhaft has used the travelling exhibition ‘…don’t forget the photos…’ as a platform to engage with public service professionals and practitioners, including those working with Romani communities. One health professional who took part in an invited event commented: ‘I have been impassioned by the stories and spoken to many colleagues and friends’, another (of Roma descent) ‘It has changed me.’ ( 5.6) Cheshire West and Chester Council, which serves a large Traveller community, has used the exhibition in public and training events for council members and staff and police officers on 3 occasions. Housing Officer Dawn Taylor testifies to the positive impact on their cultural sensitivity and professional practice: ‘[M]any of our colleagues spoke about reviewing their delivery [of social services] to ensure this is as accessible as possible for Gypsy and Traveller families.’ ( 5.7)

Finally, the exhibitions co-curated by Rosenhaft and based on her research have had direct impact on the memory and commemoration of the Romani Holocaust and on the lives and attitudes of visitors. Between September 2017 and July 2020, ‘…don’t forget the photos...’ was shown on 18 occasions, including in Prague, in 7 German cities, at the International Youth Meeting Centre in Auschwitz, and at 6 sites in the UK. It has often been hosted by civic and faith groups in the context of Holocaust memorial events. Reports from the principal venues, including Liverpool Central Library and Liverpool Cathedral which attract a large tourist footfall ( 5.8), suggest that at least 10,000 (and very likely more) viewers have seen the exhibition and/or attended accompanying events. In Germany, the exhibition has been covered by local and national media, and inspired a radio documentary which focused on one of the individual victim stories to highlight the exhibition’s power to challenge resurgent racist violence.

Exhibition visitors represent a cross-section of ages from mainly educated majority ethnic groups. These visitors report changes in attitudes and readiness to take new initiatives: Asked what action they might take after viewing the exhibition, British visitors responded: ‘be more critically aware of groups becoming “other”’; ‘be more compassionate towards all’; ‘read more on this history’; ‘be more tolerant’; ‘think about stereotypes’; ‘learn more’; ‘continue to fight for human rights’; ‘read more about Roma people and look at the articles/comments I hear in a different light’. (5.6) In Dessau-Roßlau, the exhibition had particular resonance because it portrayed events in the town itself; local residents were prompted to recall a forgotten ‘Gypsy’ presence and its disappearance; citizens reflected on links between the city’s Nazi past and the current wave of right-wing violence in the region. (5.6) In South Korea, the exhibition Unwelcome Neighbors attracted 3812 visitors during the 5 weeks it was on display. Visitors took up the challenge to reflect on the racism in their own society: ‘As an ordinary citizen who is neither victimiser nor victim, the issue is not far from us’; ‘Koreans have stereotypes and prejudice. We are silent bystanders’; ‘[I think of] Vietnamese women who were fooled by Korean soldiers’; ‘People like Korean-Chinese are discriminated because of their ethnicity in this country’; ‘Korean nationalism is relatively strong and has a tendency to exclude others’. ( 5.9)

A significant impact of the research and the development of the exhibition has been the empowerment of members of the survivor families, with some of whom Rosenhaft has been in correspondence since the beginning of her research, some of whom advised on the development of ‘…don’t forget the photos’, and some of whom first came into contact through learning about the exhibition. Raffaela Laubinger, daughter of one of the exhibition subjects, stands for the impact on these families of the access the exhibition provides to knowledge about their own histories and images of their past: ‘These pictures are very, very valuable for me ... And I’m also grateful that this exhibition exists – simply because we are a people who have been forgotten by history.’ ( 5.10) She has since joined other members of the German survivor families in a growing circle of GRT who take an active part in the exhibition on site as speakers and docents (see exhibition website).