Paper short abstract:

In a series of open, reflexive conversations, the members of the committee of experts co-curating a collaborative exhibition on Roma cultures and populations, analyze the representation of Roma populations in a selection of items in Mucem’s collections and, more broadly, French national heritage.

Paper long abstract:

The Musée des Civilisations d’Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem) in Marseille is currently preparing an exhibition on Roma cultures co-creatively with representatives of national and international Roma populations. In the context of this collaborative effort, the objects and pieces of art contained in Mucem’s collection up to date are assessed following a (self-)critical rationale. Who produced them and in which circumstances were they acquired or collected? How did they join the museum’s collections, following which interests and politics? Along which lines must a contextualization be undertaken, with the aim to display these items with an ethical and inclusive positioning? While it is the museum’s intention to break with colonial and hegemonial norms in collection and curation practices, it is the Roma experts’ turn to forge a narrative that takes a critical stance regarding the gaze on these populations perceived as ‚Others‘. In the context of the exhibition project, a selection of items related to Roma were proposed for critical examination to the Roma experts. In an experimental, open format they were asked to enter individual conversations with the objects, comment, joke, or analyze them following the meanings they contain, contesting the heritage they represent for themselves and their respective communities, and contributing to the re-shaping of collective and curation practices. This paper proposes an ethnographical account of the heritage agency expressed through the access to material collections and their re-appropriation by the experts, as well as the resulting reactions, responses, and dialogues with the museum’s professionals.