Theme:
3. Heritage Narratives and Representations
Session format:
Session with presentation of 6 slides in 6 minutes
Title:
CANCELLED What Shall We Do with…? Cardinal Points for the Ethical Treatment of Difficult Heritages in Archaeology and Museums
Content:
As collectors and conservators, museums are the ultimate stewards of archaeological pieces, sometimes inherited or acquired with questionable ethical standards. Museums display selected objects and different types of human remains with a narrative that needs of critical reflection to avoid perpetuating systems, ideas and behaviours that are reductive, patronising or simply wrong from an ethical and a scientific point of view. Museums’ responsibility lies in their role as educational tools and spaces for representation. Thus, they must incorporate current social reflections on identity and nation building. Europeans are trying to settle upon a fair portrait of their past. Current challenges face dealing with pieces that convey a painful, or shameful, pasts and difficult, dissonant, and undesirable realities and heritages.
For years, archaeologists have been trying to devise a framework to deal with these issues more ethically. Our session aims to explore best practices in collection and conservation, potential impacts of curatorial decisions, the exhibition of difficult heritages, visitors' perception of difficult heritages, and critical views of narratives of the past. In short, this session aims to explore ethical challenges and innovative solutions in archaeology and museums, including virtual, local and community museums. What should museums do with improperly/unethically collected items from the past? How should items that celebrate racist/colonialist figures be displayed, if at all? How are dialogues with audiences and society at large being held? Which are effective co-building strategies for these narratives?
We hope to create a space of encounter for researchers working towards a more ethical practice and a fairer society. We invite people from different fields to diversify the approaches to the topic. We especially encourage Early Career Researchers to participate in the session, located at the crossroads of archaeology, cultural heritage, and ethics.
Keywords:
difficult heritages, ethics, museums, narratives of the past
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Matilde Carbajo (Spain) 1
Co-organisers:
Alejandra Alonso Tak (United Kingdom) 2
Teresa Nicolosi (Italy) 3
Affiliations:
1. Pompeu Fabra University
2. King's College London
3. University of Bologna
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT