Who’s Speaking?

The criticism of hegemonic museum and exhibition strategies has left its mark and continues to evolve: in many places, the commitment to diversity and difference has become a guiding principle of how museums present themselves. Marginalised groups are the focus of exhibitions, new approaches to content, collecting initiatives, and educational programmes. This had led to an increase in the number of players involved in the politics of history in the arena of the museum. They call for different views of history and combine these with critical questions about the power of interpretation and methods of representation. Societal changes and current funding policies also give pause for reflection. This workshop deals with the history and present of this field of practice including its specific inclusions and exclusions as well as the conditions for this development. Starting from the question of who speaks, we will discuss pioneering projects from the last few decades and current approaches to collaborative curating and shared authorship. The primary focus of the workshop will be on methods of representation that allow for complexity, dispense with clear identifications, create confusion, and open up new avenues of thought.