Starting in April 2025, the Reinwardt Academy will host a UNESCO Chair in Museum Collections, Repatriation and Interculturality. This chair is part of the research group and focuses on research, education, and public engagement related to cultural heritage from colonial contexts, with special attention to museums. Mirjam Shatanawi will hold the chair and work collaboratively with colleagues at Reinwardt.
Between 2025 and 2029, the chair will pursue three main goals: exchanging knowledge on colonial and contested heritage, promoting inclusive heritage practices, and strengthening international collaborations. This will be done through a broad approach involving the general public, students, and academics. Public events, (online) publications, and academic articles will contribute to broader awareness. Training heritage professionals will also be a key focus, emphasizing the identification, tracing, and management of colonial heritage.
International cooperation and knowledge exchange are central. The chair fosters dialogue among heritage professionals worldwide—between Europe and Asia, Africa, and South America, as well as within those regions. As a connecting link between UNESCO, museums, and communities in countries of origin, the chair contributes to the broader effort to decolonize museums. This involves a critical rethinking of Eurocentric perspectives and colonial structures, with the aim of making exhibitions and collections more inclusive—both in Europe and in former colonies.
The discussion around the return and restitution of museum collections from the colonial era has gained momentum in recent years. More and more European countries are developing policies in this area and are returning heritage to the communities that created it. The chair does not focus solely on physical objects, but also on intangible heritage—such as songs and Indigenous knowledge—that has been altered by colonial presence.
The program will be publicly presented on Thursday, 13 November 2025, during the Reinwardt Lecture. Want to stay informed? Sign up via this registration form (check the box for Research Program (Lectorate)).