BOOK REVIEW : ‘The earth doesn’t tell its secrets’ – his father once said , by Noor Abuarafeh, Sharjah, Sharjah Art Foundation, 2017, 255 pp., $15 USD (paperback), ISBN 9789948232049

• Main Author: Nana, Zheng
• Format: Non Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: AM Museums (General). Collectors and collecting (General); GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography; NX Arts in general; PN Literature (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/44407/1/The%20earth%20doesn%20t%20tell%20its%20secrets%20%20%20%20his%20father%20once%20said.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/44407/; https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2024.2320839

Within the shifting paradigm of heritage studies, the notion of the museum has been a recurring subject of critical inquiry. ‘The Earth Doesn't Tell Its Secrets’ – His Father Once Said, a novel by Palestinian artist Noor Abuarafeh, challenges conventional notions of the museum, its role in presenting and interpreting heritage, and its relevance in society. ... contributes to the growing field of critical heritage studies in three ways. First, through a fictional lens on heritage-making in ordinary households, it enriches our nuanced understanding of the notion of museums. Second, by situating the story in Palestine, it offers a distinctive perspective on dissonant heritage. Third, blurring the boundaries between academic and fictional writing, as well as between artistic research and museum studies, contributes to the ongoing methodological exploration in critical heritage studies.