Museums are places that teach about the past, aren’t they? But who decides, which stories are
worth telling and which pieces worth exhibiting?
The time of the British Empire is over on the paper, but the UK as a Western country still
holds political and/or economic power over the people from former colonies. In most cases,
and this virtual exhibition is no exception, museums about the British Empire are curated by
people from the global West. They are the ones who decide which stories are being told and
which pieces are being shown (cf. Duthie 2011: 22). Consequentially, many museums still
present a colonial perspective, but this often goes unnoticed because museums are assumed to
present an objective account of history (cf. Whittington 2022: 252). The British Museum for
example, by claiming to be a ‘universal museum’, “remains an imperial institution in a post-imperial world” (Duthie 2011: 23). Having the descendants of the former oppressors tell
stories about colonialism, while they still profit from new forms of colonial domination, is
highly problematic. It is impossible to speak adequately for the oppressed without being
patronizing and without reproducing the oppression that should be questioned (cf. Spivak
1988: 74-75). Therefore, Western museums must use their privilege to give space to the
descendants of the formerly colonized, let them speak for themselves and amplify their
voices. What we believe about history to be true, especially history about the Other, is rooted
in the stories we are told about it and the images that have circulated in the collective
imaginary for centuries. History can never be objective – it is always speaking from a specific
perspective: mostly the perspective of Western White Men. As a result, the history about the
British Empire is mainly a construction of the West – just as the West itself is a construction,
an idea, though one with very real consequences on people’s lives until today (cf. Said 1978:
89).
That is why we created this exhibition for high school students, focusing on Australia
as an example of a land that was colonized by the British. The exhibition aims to inspire
visitors and students to critically question museums’ collecting practices and the supposed
objectivity of museums as institutions of knowledge and memorialisation. In a first section,
we examine pieces from the early days of Australian colonization, that were stolen by British
colonizers and settlers. How did they end up being exhibited here? Do museums have
permission to display them? In the second section, we have selected pieces, mostly from later
times, that were legally acquired or bought. Is it legitimate to display them, or do we have to
take a closer look? What were the power relations in place and who determined what was
‘legal’, when those pieces were acquired? What has changed since then? The final section of
our exhibition includes pieces by contemporary Aboriginal-Australian artists. What can these
contemporary artists teach us about the colonial past and its legacies that still connects Britain
and Australia? How do their stories hold a special place in post- and decolonial storytelling,
and why is it important to transfer the power of telling Australian history to them?
This exhibition wants you to challenge how museums’ collecting practice shapes
students’ understanding of the British Empire: Are museums neutral? Who has the power to
write history? Who should we listen to when it comes to learning about the British Empire?
Why is it so difficult to give voice to those who were subjects to Britain’s colonization, and
finally: What is the role of museums in all this?