The growing reflection on colonial legacies within European universities has led to the publication of reports and the creation of working groups highlighting universities’ historical involvement in colonialism. These initiatives are part of a broader movement, with European and international efforts aiming at decolonising collections, curricula, and academic structures. However, from the risk of political appropriation, marketing strategies, to the reproduction of colonial scientific approaches, the decolonisation of university museums raises profound questions.
Two key issues can be pointed out:
• Decolonising university collections: examining their provenance, management, and the relationship to knowledge production through critical research and collaboration with the communities concerned.
• Rethinking relationships with the colonial legacies: beyond collections themselves, questioning curricula, power dynamics, and collaborations with universities in former colonies in order to foster more balanced partnerships.
These multidisciplinary reflections also extend to new forms of colonisation and call for a broader reassessment of academic practices. How can these initiatives bring about lasting transformation within university institutions?
Deux enjeux clés émergent :
- Décoloniser les collections universitaires : interroger leur provenance, leur gestion et leur lien avec les savoirs, via des recherches critiques et une collaboration avec les communautés concernées.
- Repenser les relations avec l’héritage colonial : au-delà des collections, questionner les curricula, les dynamiques de pouvoir et les collaborations avec les universités des anciennes colonies pour des partenariats plus équilibrés.
Ces réflexions, pluridisciplinaires, s’étendent aux nouvelles formes de colonisation et impliquent une réévaluation globale des pratiques académiques. Comment ces initiatives peuvent-elles transformer durablement les institutions universitaires ?
Led by Marino Ficco, Research Coordinator at Musée L, and Marion Bertin, researcher in heritage history and anthropology at UCLouvain (ISPOLE).
Organised by Musée L, the Institute for the Study of Civilizations, Arts and Letters (INCAL) at UCLouvain, the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters (FIAL) at UCLouvain, and the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Worlds (CEMA).
With the support of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM).