I am currently studying to be a high school history teacher. Since I have been in college I have truly learned to appreciate the education I am receiving. Now, more than ever, and as a future educator, I’m realizing that education truly is the key to bettering life, not only on a personal level but also on a societal level as well.
For that reason I was pleased to hear about Britain’s policy of social cohesion in BLC lecture last week. The speaker was talking about how London keeps their museums free in order to keep social cohesion. Having never heard the term before, I thought it meant only to inspire the strengthening of society through education. I did my research, however, and learned it was much more .
There are five basic parts to it: material conditions, passive relationships, active relationships, inclusion, and equality. Keeping museums free fits best under the inclusion policy, which means including people and giving them a sense of belonging to a city as well as the strength of shared experiences, identities and values between those from different backgrounds.
This policy, of allowing free admission, began with London’s very first museums and strengthened throughout the twentieth century and has lasted well into the present.
I absolutely love this policy. By making museums free they are opening up educational opportunities to people of all ranks in society.
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This is good - make sure you go a bit beyond what you would turn in for a BLC lecture and tie it to the 20th century. Why would politicians like this? What does this tell us about culture? What events in the 20th century would make social cohesion necessary? Even though the museums were founded earlier (most of them) why do you think the policy continues?
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