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- Convenors:
-
Charlotte Engman
(Umeå University)
Olga Zabalueva (Umeå university)
Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt (University of Tartu)
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- Format:
- Panel+Workshop
Short Abstract:
This panel and workshop focus on how museums and archives "unwrite" democracy by confronting hidden narratives, dismantling imposed identities, challenging polarization and hegemonic discourses. What new democratic voices and futures might emerge from the change of museal and archival practices?
Long Abstract:
This panel and workshop call on scholars to investigate how museums and archives can engage in "unwriting" democracy by revealing hidden narratives and questioning dominant discourses. Traditionally, these institutions are seen as vital to democracy, enhancing knowledge access and fostering inclusion. However, rising polarization, nationalism, and critiques of democracy in Europe present new challenges for museums and archives regarding their role in promoting openness, pluralism, and civic engagement.
How can these institutions, as cultural memory spaces, navigate the complexities of addressing controversial and morally charged topics? What does it mean for them to actively unlearn entrenched narratives, and how might this influence democratic engagement? Can “unwriting” the musealization process contribute to building more equitable and democratic societies?
Participants are encouraged to consider the broader role of museums and archives in the current landscape, particularly in relation to activism, post-neutrality, and sustainability. How might these institutions reimagine their community engagement and shift their practices to become agents of both unlearning and rewriting democracy? By exploring these questions, we aim to open a dialogue on how museums and archives can evolve in response to the political, social, and cultural challenges facing democratic societies today, and what possibilities might arise from this transformation.
In the workshop, we invite participants to experiment with monster writing and love letters as ways to collaborate around unwriting hidden narratives and challenging dominant discourses. These two workshop activities will provide concrete methods for participants to take home and experiment with their own collectives.