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The political platypus and colonial koala – decolonising the way we talk about Australian animals
Ashby, J.Australian mammals are generally considered fondly, however there are particular trends in the way that they are represented in museums and other educational settings which inadvertently perpetuate a colonial view of these species by inferring relative inferiority. These tropes include describing species as ‘weird and wonderful’, ‘strange’, ‘peculiar’ and primitive; using often unhelpful comparisons with…
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The Harrison Collection: Addressing colonialism in the collections of a Victorian big game hunter
Middleton, J.Scarborough Museums Trust holds the archive of a big game hunter James Jonathan Harrison (1857-1923) comprising of not only hunting trophies, but also a large number of photographs and nine hunting diaries. Shortly after his death, his collection was donated to Scarborough Corporation, where for many years it was displayed in the upper rooms of…
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Decolonising Manchester Museum’s mineral collection – a call to action
Gelsthorpe, D.The history of Black and Indigenous peoples, and the role of empire in most museum natural history collections is largely unresearched and not acknowledged in displays. This study analyses the reach of empire in Manchester Museum’s mineral collection, uncovers colonial stories, and exposes structural racism in the museum sector. New data analysis of the mineral…
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An Introduction to Ally Skills for Natural History Collections Professionals
Phillips, M. A., Ye, H., Bledsoe, E. K.Natural science collections are, by their nature, collaborative and cumulative and benefit from the inclusion of diverse people with varied experiences and backgrounds. Yet many of us recognize that our workplaces, and STEM at large, are not welcoming to all, even after decades of efforts. It is increasingly clear that one of the challenges is…
