Abstract
In her book On Being Included (2012), Sara Ahmed analyses diversity reports produced within British higher education. She argues that these documents can be understood as non-performatives, that is, statements that do not bring into effect what they name. According to Ahmed, rather than testifying to measures adopted by institutions to counter institutional racism, diversity reports merely enumerate commitments, values and future objectives. In other words, the declared commitments listed in them do not correspond to commitments taken. In this paper I suggest that what Ahmed argued in relation to the popularity of discourses around diversity in higher education can be seamlessly applied to the current enthusiasm about decolonisation in the museum sector, where the the public statements, social media posts, and events aimed at reflecting on the colonial legacies of the institution, are presented as constituting in themselves the act of decolonising. This was never more evident than in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, when museums in the UK and beyond released an avalanche of solidarity statements and published renewed policies to increase diversity efforts. Some of these institutions— such as the British Museum— having historically shown disregard towards calls for repatriation or permanent reframing of colonial artefacts. Four years on, the composition of the sector’s workforce remains largely white, with little to no evidence of change following the many commitments. I argue that museums’ initiatives under the ‘decolonisation banner’, not only shield institutions from further critique, but become an end to itself.
Presenters
Giorgia CacciatorePhD Candidate, Culture Media and Creative Industries, King's College London, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Decolonisation, Diversity, Criticality, Museums
