On 8 and 9 October 2026, Musée L will host a two-day symposium entitled "Decolonising University Collections? Challenges, Issues and Perspectives". 

The growing reflection on colonial legacies within European universities has led to the publication of reports and the creation of working groups highlighting universities’ historical involvement in colonialism. These initiatives are part of a broader movement, with European and international efforts aimed at decolonising collections, curricula, and academic structures. However, between the risks of political appropriation, marketing strategies, and the reproduction of colonial scientific approaches, the decolonisation of university museums raises profound questions.

Two key issues emerge:

• Decolonising university collections: examining their provenance, management, and relationship to knowledge production through critical research and collaboration with the communities concerned.
• Rethinking relationships with the colonial legacy: beyond collections themselves, questioning curricula, power dynamics, and collaborations with universities in former colonies in order to foster more balanced partnerships.

These multidisciplinary reflections also extend to new forms of colonisation and call for a broader reassessment of academic practices. How can these initiatives bring about lasting transformation within university institutions?

Programme:

The event will take place in a hybrid format, both online and in person. A registration form will be made available from mid-August. 

Discussions will be organised around three thematic sessions:

• Restitution of knowledge and institutional positioning
• Ancestral and human remains
• Contemporary museological challenges

Finally, a practical workshop will provide an opportunity to collectively and collaboratively examine museography and museum practices at Musée L.

Save the date! The whole team looks forward to welcoming you to these study days.

Free admission upon registration (registration opens in August).

Organised by: Marino Ficco, Research Coordinator at the Musée L and Marion Bertin, researcher in history and anthropology of heritage at UCLouvain (ISPOLE)