There is nothing new in the seemingly recent calls for the repatriation and restitution of museum objects to former colonial countries. Whilst inaction may seem like the norm, museums, heritage organisations and governments are opening up the conversation around co-curation and decolonising the collections they hold.

This event will help to demystify the questions we have around colonial objects and artefacts such as: Where do we start with decolonising our collections? Is sending stuff back really the answer? How can decolonising rewrite the damaging narratives that have been told, whilst owning up to the mistakes of the past? How do you make a history not Colonial? Should we continue to hold on to objects (and hence their narrative) in the 21st century? Who, ultimately, should be making the decisions when dealing with problematic collections?

Following on from our 2019 conference, this event will provide a forum in which people from across the KQ, who are working on or interested in learning more about museum and gallery collections, can learn and discuss more about the challenges and opportunities of a decolonising them. Drawing from the wealth of expertise in our membership, we will attempt to understand what decolonisation means and how we might engage and enact upon the concept.