The ‘Taking Liberties’ Exhibition at the British Library

The British Library is currently staging an exhibition, Taking Liberties, on the history of liberty and democracy in Britain. This article reviews the exhibition. Its verdict is that the BL has done an outstanding job. As well as displaying a wide range of original documents, and providing an entici...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Political quarterly (London. 1930) 2009-01, Vol.80 (1), p.134-135
Main Author: KELLNER, PETER
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basic rights
Democracy
exhibition
Fairs & exhibitions
Freedom
Freedoms
Great Britain
Historic documents
history
liberty
Libraries
Museums
United Kingdom
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Summary:The British Library is currently staging an exhibition, Taking Liberties, on the history of liberty and democracy in Britain. This article reviews the exhibition. Its verdict is that the BL has done an outstanding job. As well as displaying a wide range of original documents, and providing an enticing means of interaction for visitors, the exhibition reminds us that liberty continues to evolve and its meaning continues to be contested. By showing how the evolution of liberty in Britain has taken centuries, rather than decades, it also reminds us that when we rightly criticise newer democracies for their imperfections, we should remember that the liberties of their citizens have evolved at a far faster rate than we ever achieved.
ISSN:0032-3179
1467-923X
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2009.01970.x