Attempts to Decolonize Knowledge Production in Museum Practice

Abstract

In the last decades, the pressure on museums, especially on ethnological museums in the global North, has increased considerably. They are criticized for reproducing neo-colonial power relations and knowledge orders through common representational practices. The recent debate on colonial collections and the necessity of restitution has further fueled the discussion about the role and legitimacy of museums. Ethnological museums need to fundamentally rethink their practices. Since 2015, two museums in Uganda (Kampala and Mbarara) and one in Switzerland (Zurich) have begun an unusual collaboration. They are conducting joint research in both countries, pursuing an approach of “reverse” and “reciprocal anthropology”, and creating exhibitions together in dialogue. This article provides insights into the dynamics of the cooperation process between the three museums. It addresses the challenges of collaborating on an equal footing, striven for in a transcontinental project framed by structural inequalities. Is it possible to integrate all points of view, orders of knowledge and interests? Each of the three museums involved is entangled in specific historical, economic, and political contexts that influence and limit their respective scopes of action, interests, and possibilities for assertion. Furthermore, there is always the danger that historically grown, internalized and unconscious relations of dominance come into play. Special attention is paid to the conditions and processes of knowledge creation.