workshop @ 1350

Power and Memory: What is decolonial practice in the University of Cambridge Museums

Museum across the continent have been revaluating the roles they play and the practices they have upheld through the years: this has led to a shift in how museums have explored collections with complex stories rooted in enslavement and empire. In 2021, the University of Cambridge Museums embarked on a shared line of inquiry exploring the legacies of empire and enslavement across their collections. The project has included new and ongoing research within our collections, and important developments in how we approach sharing the material we find with our wider audiences.

Underpinning the project is a commitment to opening the history of our collections to interrogation from a range of perspectives, using them as an opportunity for examining challenging topics, including racial inequality, our existing collections and programming practice, as well as building dialogue and connections with our diverse audiences. As an institution we are constantly faced with the questions of socially responsibility and relevance. This presentation will discuss the ways in which our museums have tackled these questions, discussing how we have approached the theme of power and memory to explore the legacies of enslavement and empire in our collections.

Deconstructing our engagement practices, this session will focus on how the project has influenced the ways in which we engage with our communities and how that in turn has changed the ways in which we work with our communities. This session will explore three case studies pertaining to community engagement, evaluation and workforce development. This presentation can be delivered as a talk but we are happy to adapt it into a workshop if you have a space forthat in your programme.

Speakers Bio

Ruchika Gurung leads on community engagement for the University Museums' project on the legacies of empireand enslavement.

Sarah-Jane Harknett co-ordinates evaluation projects across the University of Cambridge Museums

The University of Cambridge Museums include eight museums and Botanic Garden whichrepresent the UK’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London. The UniversityMuseums are embarking on a shared line of inquiry exploring the legacies of empire and enslavement. The projectwill include new and ongoing research into the legacies of empire and enslavement present within our collections,and important developments in how we approach sharing the material we find with our wider audiences.