Talk
The (Impossible) Decolonization of the Western Museum
Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 6:30PM
NYUAD Campus, Conference Center
Past Event
Open to the Public
For decades now, the “universal museum,” an institution invented in Western Europe, has been challenged, and its decolonization has become a subject of debate within the institution itself. Yet, Françoise Vergès argues that the decolonization of the Western museum is impossible if we adopt Frantz Fanon’s remark that "Decolonization is a program of absolute disorder” (1961). In this conversation, Vergès retraces the connection between collecting and colonialism, explores the capacity of neoliberalism to commodify critiques, and presents the project of a “museum without objects” and different decolonial practices of the arts.
For decades now, the “universal museum,” an institution invented in Western Europe, has been challenged, and its decolonization has become a subject of debate within the institution itself. Yet, Françoise Vergès argues that the decolonization of the Western museum is impossible if we adopt Frantz Fanon’s remark that "Decolonization is a program of absolute disorder” (1961). In this conversation, Vergès retraces the connection between collecting and colonialism, explores the capacity of neoliberalism to commodify critiques, and presents the project of a “museum without objects” and different decolonial practices of the arts.
- Françoise Vergès, Political Scientist, Historian and Curator; Author of "A Feminist Theory of Violence: A Decolonial Perspective" (Pluto Press, 2022)
- Katia Arfara, Curator; Assistant Professor of Theater, Performance Studies, NYUAD
In collaboration with
