David Who? Asking questions, building partnerships and embracing curiosity

This two and half hour participative session takes participants through the inner workings of a project on the life, times and legacy of David Hume funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and run by the David Hume Institute.

In recent years, racist views expressed by Hume in a footnote have come to greater attention as society has contended more generally with the legacy of slavery and colonialism across the world. In this session, Director of the David Hume Institute Susan Murray and Project Manager Ewan McCall will share how they navigated an area of heritage which has been the subject of contentious public debate through asking questions, building partnerships and embracing curiosity.

At the start of the project a survey we commissioned found that less than half of Scots had heard of David Hume or the Scottish Enlightenment. However, with more than 4 in 5 people wanting to learn more about history and how it influences our lives today, this session will show how figures such as Hume can serve as a starting point for wider conversations, learning and reflection.

This led to the development of a unique project that has involved hip-hop education in schools, forum theatre performances, collaboration with academics to highlight the contributions of black philosophers and tours retracing the footsteps of David Hume and his footnote in the context of eighteenth-century Edinburgh.

Venue can be found here: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/roomBookingView/index/313-A_01_RM1dot1