The Ethnographic Museums of Saxony Publish Platform on Decolonization and Invite Dialogue
05 March 2021[Translate to English:] Die Sächsischen Völkerkundemuseen veröffentlichen Plattform zur Dekolonisierung und laden zum Dialog ein
The ethnographic museums in Leipzig, Dresden and Herrnhut, which have been part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden since 2010, have been dealing with their own colonial past. Decolonization is directed against colonial structures of discrimination that are both physically tangible and that influence our ways of thinking. It is an active process open to everyone. The new platform on the website www.skd.museum/dekolonisierung invites dialogue and creates more transparency in ethnological discourse.
The first section, "Current Projects," provides background information on completed and ongoing projects of the three museums with international collaboration partners and groups. In the "Inquiries" section, visitors to the website can find out about the process of restitution and repatriation requests regarding collection holdings and ancestors (ancestral remains), as well as the subsequent research projects. The ‘’FAQ’’ (Frequently Asked Questions) section asks basic questions related to decolonization, restitution, and repatriation, and offers explanations of the specific vocabulary used on the website.
Léontine Meijer-van Mensch: "The ethnological discourse is happening, it is present. It is a process that still requires much in-depth research. We need to think and talk about our own ambivalent past. For example, does a project end when we return the remains of a member of a community, or do we begin a long-term engagement, involving not only the past but also the present and future?"
