What can decolonisation, as a term, a critical theoretical framework and a political conviction, stand for? How is and has it been visible in the fields of arts and culture, specifically in museums and curatorial practice? At what points does it cease to function as a critical practice and become co-opted by the very structures it aims to dismantle? During this seminar, we will attempt to address these questions. We will reflect on and problematise museums, as spaces and institutions, within their colonial and capitalist contexts.

As part of the seminar, we will take a closer look at discourse surrounding reparations and restitution, drawing from critical theoretical and artistic interventions, to situate museums within decolonial practice. Through engaging with current research and practice, we will further question the colonial continuums embedded in local and international conversations on the decolonisation of museums. Our goal will be to attain a grasp on multiple perspectives and strategies of decolonial theory and practice and confront the question of whether the museum can be decolonised and if so, what we can imagine such a process to look like.

Course requirements:

Studienleistung: Regular participation, Groupwork
Prüfungslesitung: Seminar paper

What can decolonisation, as a term, a critical theoretical framework and a political conviction, stand for? How is and has it been visible in the fields of arts and culture, specifically in museums and curatorial practice? At what points does it cease to function as a critical practice and become co-opted by the very structures it aims to dismantle? During this seminar, we will attempt to address these questions. We will reflect on and problematise museums, as spaces and institutions, within their colonial and capitalist contexts.

As part of the seminar, we will take a closer look at discourse surrounding reparations and restitution, drawing from critical theoretical and artistic interventions, to situate museums within decolonial practice. Through engaging with current research and practice, we will further question the colonial continuums embedded in local and international conversations on the decolonisation of museums. Our goal will be to attain a grasp on multiple perspectives and strategies of decolonial theory and practice and confront the question of whether the museum can be decolonised and if so, what we can imagine such a process to look like.

Course requirements:

Studienleistung: Regular participation, Groupwork
Prüfungslesitung: Seminar paper

In Bremen und dem niedersächsischen Umland gibt es zahlreiche Museen und einige Gedenkstätten. Woher kommen diese Institutionen? Wie arbeiten sie? Welchen Themen widmen sie sich? Wie haben sie sich entwickelt und welche Aufgaben übernehmen sie in unserer Gesellschaft? Worin unterscheidet sich die Arbeit von Gedenkstätten und Museen?
Das Seminar vermittelt Einblicke in die Grundlagen der musealen Arbeiten und reflektiert die Entstehungsgeschichte der Bremer Museen vor dem Hintergrund einer Kulturgeschichte des Politischen. Gemeinsam besucht die Seminargruppe sieben unterschiedliche Museen und erhält dabei direkte Einblicke in dieses wissenschaftliche Arbeitsfeld. Dabei richtet sich das Seminar bewusst nicht nur an Historiker*innen, sondern möchte unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf die museale Arbeit in einen Austausch bringen.
Das Seminar wird unterschiedliche Museen im Land Bremen und dem niedersächsischen Umland besuchen und sich mit ihrer Geschichte und ihrer aktuellen Arbeit auseinandersetzen. Die Teilnehmenden erhalten Einblicke in aktuelle Ausstellungen, die museumspädagogische Arbeit, in Museumssammlungen und Archive.
Im Rahmen des Seminars wird eine Studienleistung in Form eines Referates oder eines Essays mit freier Fragestellung zu einem Museum erbracht. Das Seminar wird unterschiedliche Museen besuchen. Es wird daher an unterschiedlichen Orten und ggf. auch zu leicht abweichenden Zeiten stattfinden. Die erste Sitzung findet am 15. Oktober im Krankenhaus-Museum am Klinikum Bremen-Ost statt.

What can decolonisation, as a term, a critical theoretical framework and a political conviction, stand for? How is and has it been visible in the fields of arts and culture, specifically in museums and curatorial practice? At what points does it cease to function as a critical practice and become co-opted by the very structures it aims to dismantle? During this seminar, we will attempt to address these questions. We will reflect on and problematise museums, as spaces and institutions, within their colonial and capitalist contexts.

As part of the seminar, we will take a closer look at discourse surrounding reparations and restitution, drawing from critical theoretical and artistic interventions, to situate museums within decolonial practice. Through engaging with current research and practice, we will further question the colonial continuums embedded in local and international conversations on the decolonisation of museums. Our goal will be to attain a grasp on multiple perspectives and strategies of decolonial theory and practice and confront the question of whether the museum can be decolonised and if so, what we can imagine such a process to look like.

Course requirements:

Studienleistung: Regular participation, Groupwork
Prüfungslesitung: Seminar paper

What can decolonisation, as a term, a critical theoretical framework and a political conviction, stand for? How is and has it been visible in the fields of arts and culture, specifically in museums and curatorial practice? At what points does it cease to function as a critical practice and become co-opted by the very structures it aims to dismantle? During this seminar, we will attempt to address these questions. We will reflect on and problematise museums, as spaces and institutions, within their colonial and capitalist contexts.

As part of the seminar, we will take a closer look at discourse surrounding reparations and restitution, drawing from critical theoretical and artistic interventions, to situate museums within decolonial practice. Through engaging with current research and practice, we will further question the colonial continuums embedded in local and international conversations on the decolonisation of museums. Our goal will be to attain a grasp on multiple perspectives and strategies of decolonial theory and practice and confront the question of whether the museum can be decolonised and if so, what we can imagine such a process to look like.

Course requirements:

Studienleistung: Regular participation, Groupwork
Prüfungslesitung: Seminar paper