Decolonizing natural histories – Critical and practical perspectives in museum contexts – Conférences organised in the natural history museum of Neuchâtel the 15, 16, 17 march 2023 in collaboration with ETH Zurick D GESS ([ Ссылка ]) and OCIM ([ Ссылка ]).
Further information visit [ Ссылка ]
---
Sharon Heal is the director of the Museums Association, chair of the Museum of Homelessness and a trustee of the Thackray and the European Museum Forum.
Britain had one of the world’s largest empires and much of its museum infrastructure and collections are a result of its imperial past. UK museums are now facing up to this colonial past and are working with diaspora communities and communities of origin to explore new narratives and new ways of working. This work is against a backdrop of so-called Culture Wars and a hostile government approach in England, whereas in Scotland and Wales governments have taken a more proactive and supportive stance, actively encouraging museums to deal with difficult pasts. Within this complex and contradictory context, the Museums Association has undertaken extensive research into how the sector works with collections and communities and how best to navigate contemporary challenges. Its 2016 Empowering Collections Report centred a proactive approach to the democratisation and decolonisation of collections: [ Ссылка ]
The presentation will address the development of the MA’s Supporting Decolonisation in Museums guidance; the outcomes and learning from the skills and confidence programme, current practice and what future decolonising initiatives might bring.
