Facilitating discussions about old things

Natasha Herman facilitates meetings in the form of Socratic dialogues for professionals from all areas of cultural heritage care. During these meetings, we address a particular cultural heritage theme that is of particular interest to the group. These meetings are small and intimate and take place either online or in person.

The Practice

Socratic dialogues provide a forum from which to consider the common ways in which we think about our cultural heritage, how we understand and interact with the objects we as individuals and cultures hold dear. These facilitated dialogues provide a contemplative space to look at our cultural heritage differently, to examine it and to rethink it. These dialogues offer professionals in cultural heritage care the time and space for intersubjective exploration of current and alternative ideas, ethics and prevailing philosophies.

The Attitude

Friendly and fearless thinkers are welcome, working under Theodore Parker’s conviction that “the outer judgement often fails, the inner judgement never”.

Facilitation

Natasha co-facilitates dialogues with Socrafé, a group of amateur philosophers in Groningen, The Netherlands. She has led dialogues for the Belgian-Dutch Bookbinding Association, the Dutch Royal Cultural Heritage Agency under the leadership of Bill Wei and with Restauratoren Vereniging Noord together with Gert van Oortmerssen under the moniker “Slapeloze Nachten” (Sleepless Nights). She is a certified Socratic Dialogue facilitator under the tutelage of Kristof van Rossem at SocratischGesprek and Hans Bolton at Boltontraining.

Connect

If you are a member of an organization that focuses on cultural heritage themes and you would like to explore an idea, issue or dilemma with your group, please get in touch.