Decolonizing the Museum: A Conversation on Colonial Heritage in European Collections

European museums hoard treasures of objects many of which were acquired under dubious circumstances. Although the colonial heritage in European collections has been widely debated in recent years, many questions remain unanswered. How does one define ownership in a historical context of extreme power asymmetries? To what extent is the restitution of colonial objects a solution? And how are we to tackle the broader legacy of colonial knowledge production in which European museums were implied? We have invited museum experts and historians to discuss these questions with us.

Participants: Samuel Bachmann (Bern Historical Museum), Osarhieme
Osadolor (University of Benin), Anna Schmid (Museum der Kulturen Basel)
Moderation: Ettore Morelli (University of Basel)