What is Difficult Knowledge?
In spring 2009, CEREV hosted the Curating Difficult Knowledge conference, which brought together 50 international, interdisciplinary scholars to engage with this new domain of inquiry. At the time, I was a student in Concordia’s Art History department, and grappling with many of the issues raised by the presenters and during the lively discussions that followed. While recording the conference proceedings together with History student Robert Leeson, we decided we wanted to engage on a deeper level with participants about what spoke to them to the conference topic. What resulted was a series of interviews, ranging from Professor Roger Simon, who gave the key note address, to other scholars, students and the general public. We began each interview by asking the interviewee to define what they understood to be difficult knowledge. A collection of their selected answers are presented in the short video posted below. To read more about the conference and download the program, go here.
Post and video by Amber Berson.
