Many collection-managing organisations hold collections from or with a colonial context, urging professionals working with such objects to reflect on their own working practices and their role in society. This requires diving into such institutions’ recent and less recent past, and to the histories and practices of museums themselves.
The 2025 edition of the Sharing Stories on Contested Histories programme will explore present topics such as conducting provenance research, handling restitution requests, working with communities of origin, and dealing with public opinion and political dynamics, by stimulating and facilitating an exchange of knowledge, tools and experiences regarding our professional practices.
Questions will be discussed such as:
- How are we – museum professionals around the world – dealing with colonial collections?
- How do we critically engage with the museum’s own histories and reflect on their role in society in the face of these challenges?
- How can we handle collections created and collected during colonial times in more caring and ethical ways?
- How do we navigate and react to contestations over certain histories and heritage?
Maximum of 20 participants.
Application deadline 26 May 2025.
