Museums and decolonial practices: emerging trends of heritage didactics at the National Ethnology Museum (Lisbon) and the National Historic Museum (Rio de Janeiro)— Lorena Sancho Querol (main author)
and
Fernanda Castro (co-author),
Aline Montenegro (co-author),
Rosário Severo (co-author),
Ana Botas (co-author)
Abstract
The ECHOES research project (European Colonial Heritage Modalities in Entangled Cities) focuses on the history of colonialism to collectively re-shape and give voice to colonial memories and multicultural contemporary expressions.
In this context, the team of Work Package 4 (related to “Entangled Cities”) wants to analyse the way national museums are managing the cultural traces and the heritage identities resulting from the African presence in two cities linked by this history: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Lisbon (Portugal). From this perspective, the team is analysing the educational programs and decolonial practices of the National Museum of Ethnology (Lisbon), and of the National Historical Museum (Rio de Janeiro).
In this presentation we will share the results of this on-going practiced-based collective research process. After selecting the most transformatory concepts and practices used by these teams, we will present the product we are creating: a “Glossary of Decolonial Educational Practices in Museums”.
Presentation Proposal
The ECHOES research project (European Colonial Heritage Modalities in Entangled Cities) focuses on the history of colonialism to collectively re-shape and give voice to merged colonial memories and multicultural expressions currently placed at the heart of contemporary heritage debates, both inside and outside of Europe. From this perspective, what becomes a key issue of urban relationships is understanding the link between a shared colonial past and contemporary cityscapes.
In this context, the researchers of Work package 4 (related to “Entangled Cities”) have aimed to initiate intercultural dialogues based on post-colonial and de-colonial understandings of colonial relations. They have want to analyse the way national museums are managing the cultural traces and the heritage identities that are resulting from the African presence in two cities linked by this history: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Lisbon (Portugal).
This study has thought of the museum as acting as a “culturemaker”, not only a key element in the interpretation and collective uses of these traces of multicultural diversity, but also a powerful educational space of identity conflicts, consensus-seeking and democracy building. From this perspective the research is analysing the educational programs of the National Museum of Ethnology (MNE) in Lisbon, and of the National Historical Museum (MHN) in Rio de Janeiro.
If the MNE has recently created a new program entitled “Dialogues in the diversity. Educational program for multiculturality” (2018-19) aiming to nurture cultural inclusion. Meanwhile, the MHN is developing its first “Cultural and Educational Program” (oriented by the recent Nacional Policy of Museum Education) where one on the main goals consists of democratizing museum space by stimulating the recognition of sociocultural diversity.
Both museums have relevant collections related to colonial history and to an African presence in each of the cities. These are collections that can tell us about the dissonant dimensions of this history, helping us to understand the essence of multi-ethnic identities, of the hybrid dimension of cultures, and of a multiplicity of forms of inhabiting space without denying self-cultural roots.
Given this, the following research questions have guided this studies path:
How are they making use of these concepts to develop a critical pedagogy that can help society to reflect on the merged dimensions of colonial history in the XXIst century?
How and by whom are these collections being de-codified, interpreted, verbalized and integrated into our lives?
Have these heritages been repressed, removed, and reframed, or are they re-emerging with a renewed and powerful role in current societies?
Are these museums helping to vanish ethnic, racial or cultural stereotypes and their multiplicities of sociocultural violence?
In this presentation we will share the results of this on-going practiced-based collective research process. After selecting the most transformatory concepts and practices used by these teams, we will present the product we´ve decided to create: a “Glossary of Decolonial Educational Practices in Museums”.
Throughout this process, the collaboration of these museums and their teams is allowing us to navigate the deep ocean of unexplored memories and experiences that still exist between these two worlds.