A global call for informed action on decolonisation

Spanish museums are on the cusp of significant change. Heated discussions have ignited across Spain following the announcement earlier this year by Ernest Urtasun, minister of culture, that state museum collections will undergo a review to dismantle colonial frameworks.

This step aims to address historical injustices perpetrated during Spain’s expansionist era and reshape the narrative within cultural heritage spaces. However, not everyone supports this transformation.

To many, Urtasun’s statement appears sudden, a reaction to practices seen in European institutions like the British Museum or the Louvre. Critics perceive this announcement as a misguided and uninformed imposition denoting an inherent anti-Spanish sentiment within his cabinet.

Yet, this move aligns with Icom’s guidance for decolonising museums (Strategic Plan 2022-2028) and Spain’s commitments in 2022 to the return and restitution of illegally obtained property established during Unesco’s Mondiacult and the Iberoamerican summit. Despite these foundations, public response has been overwhelmingly negative, with fear and uncertainty among museum professionals regarding how to proceed.

Decolonisation is fraught with practical and theoretical challenges, some of which are unique to the sociopolitical histories of each former colonial power. As a result, misinformation and fear have clouded public perception, fueling misconceptions about its true intent and impact.

Decolonial practice is not about erasing history, emptying museums or undermining national pride. Instead, it seeks to proactively acknowledge and rectify the historical inequalities embedded within museum collections and narratives, and to recognise museums’ role in the process of colonisation.

In Spain, the term “decolonisation” itself has drawn criticism, with detractors arguing that the country never had colonies as such but rather imperial territories (viceroyalties), with the implication that this global movement does not apply to Spanish museums.

From my tenure at the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in London, I’ve witnessed the complexities and opportunities in decolonisation efforts. Balancing urgent demands with the slow realities of provenance research and due diligence can be challenging, even for the most patient curator.

However, these constraints and their lengthy processes are often unknown to the public. Claims can take years to resolve and in order to normalise this essential work, museums must increase transparency. While the decolonisation movement gained momentum after the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, many UK institutions have long been leaders in this field.

For instance, the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has been involved in the restitution of cultural artifacts since the 1960s. Additionally, several Scottish museums have been involved with the repatriation of human remains and sacred objects since the 1990s without the need of legal impositions dictating such efforts. Their experiences offer valuable lessons and insights that can guide Spain and other nations on similar paths.

Museum professionals and the public share a collective responsibility to support decolonisation efforts. Yet there remains an imbalance in knowledge transfer that must be addressed to foster critical thinking and intercultural empathy.

Raising transparency standards of museum activities is essential. International conferences in which colleagues share successes and failures regarding decolonisation activities in their museums can foster open dialogue within the sector but are not enough.

Producing content based on audience evaluations aimed at the public, not just academic journals, is crucial to combatting misinformation. We ought to become proficient and committed to communicating our insights across a wider range of platforms including newspapers, magazines, podcasts, TV interviews and social media.

By engaging directly with the public, making our work more accessible and supporting research about collections, we can demystify the decolonisation process and build broader support for these vital efforts. This approach would ultimately empower our colleagues, in Spain and beyond, to undertake a much-needed review of the cultural holdings in their stewardship without fear of repercussions.

We must embrace decolonisation not as a threat, but as an opportunity for understanding and reconciliation. By dismantling colonial and imperialistic legacies within museum spaces, we pave the way for a more just and inclusive cultural landscape. I invite colleagues across the museum sector to join this transformative journey, leveraging collective expertise and commitment to effect lasting change.

Find out more about the MA's work on decolonisation via our decolonising museums campaign area