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