AHI Journal Volume 23, Number 1, Summer 2018

Provoke 

Why do interpreters try to provoke? Provocation can be seen as a fairly aggressive stance. Dictionary definitions of ‘provoke’ point to an act that stimulates a reaction or incites a feeling, especially one of annoyance or anger. But this isn’t exactly what Freeman Tilden (Interpreting Our Heritage, 1957) meant when he said that provocation was one of the chief aims of interpretation. So, what did he mean? And what does provocation mean to today’s interpreters and audiences?