“The British Museum is not a good thing in and of itself. It is good only to the extent that its influence in the world is for the good. The collection is a starting point, an opportunity, an instrument. Will the museum use it to influence the future of the planet and its peoples? Or will it continue to project the power of colonial gain and corporate indemnity?” — Ahdaf Soueif, On Resigning from the British Museum’s Board of Trustees Soueif2019resigning

As a resigning member of the board of trustees of the British Museum, novelist Ahdaf Soueif was in a strong position to understand the point of collecting. His words, written in 2019, stand for any form of collecting, from world-leading to extremely modest.

Soueif reminds us that any collection is only “a starting point, an opportunity, an instrument”.

His resignation follows what I take to be an increasing realisation that in spite of the PR, through its collection and curation the British Museum really does perpetuate a colonial worldview, and is an instrument of destructive power. In particular he calls out the Museum’s continued sponsorship by oil multinational BP, its lack of leadership on the issue of the repatriation of looted artefacts, and its reluctance to support fair work conditions for ancillary staff in the wake of the collapse of service provider Carillion.

He asked of the Museum, not entirely rhetorically, it is to be hoped,

“will it be involved in making a world that is habitable, just, interconnected and open for the next generation; or will it continue to collaborate with those who are unmaking the world before our eyes?”

I think that this might apply as a test of any collection, at least in the following sense: Is the act of collecting making or unmaking the world?

In some very small way, even my collection of notes must play its part. Is my act of collecting making or unmaking the world?

Hence: publishing is important. It’s not enough to keep collecting. The aim is to make something and to share it with others.

Further Reading

1. A search for meaning in the palace of lost memories: Thoughts on Piranesi, a novel by Susanna Clarke

   In this article I examine two opposing worldviews when it comes to collections and the environment: viewing the world as something to exploit instrumentally, versus recognising its intrinsic value. I guess I’m interested in whether our systems of gathering and keeping serve to honour the world or merely extract value from it.

2. How to decide what to include in your notes

   This article explores commonplace books, personal collections of information, and the deliberate choices behind what we collect (and what we discard).

3. How to start a Zettelkasten from your existing deep experience

   Here I warn against building a “magnificent but useless encyclopaedia” and I champion active, meaningful engagement over passive hoarding. Easier said than done, but I’m trying.

4. Remembering what you read

   In this article reflects on how personal notes construct a library of interpretations, and I ask how we decide what’s worth preserving.

5. The Toe of the Year and the Curious Case of John Donne’s Missing Commonplace Book

   This article looks at the mechanics of commonplace collecting and reflects on the risk of collecting quotes without genuinely digesting them. And yes, there’s a poem about the toe of the year.

I wrote a book, Shu Ha Ri: The Japanese Way of Learning. It’s available now.