The Future of the Dutch Colonial Past Curating Heritage, Art and Activism

Institutions across the globe are increasingly questioned on how their foundations are rooted in colonialism and how they aim to ‘decolonize’. The Future of the Dutch Colonial Past provides an overview of critical scholarly reflections on the history of Dutch slavery and colonization, as well as how this translates into critical cultural practices. It also explores possible futures: What can heritage institutions learn from (international) best practices regarding the ‘decolonization’ of museums? And what role can contemporary artistic practices take in these processes? Through a variety of essays, interventions, interviews, and a roundtable conversation, scholars and cultural practitioners address these complex questions.

EMMA VAN BIJNEN is a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, researcher, and research and publications officer at Amsterdam Museum. She specialises in multidisciplinary and works on discourse and argumentation, with a focus on conflict (resolution), in/exclusion and multimodality. PEPIJN BRANDON is professor of Global Economic and Social History at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam and Senior Researcher at the International Institute of Social History. He has published widely on the history of slavery in the context of the history of global capitalism, with special attention to the Netherlands. Karwan Fatah-Black is Senior Researcher at the Royal Dutch Institute for Caribbean and Southeast Asia Studies (KITLV-KNAW) and University Lecturer at Leiden University. Since completing his PhD (2013), he has studied the history of the Atlantic world, enslavement, and emancipation strategies. In partnership with museums and heritage institutions, he is working on creating new narratives about the colonial past and postcolonial futures. IMARA LIMON is a curator at the Amsterdam Museum. She studied Art History (BA), Heritage and Museology (MA), and Cultural Analysis (rMA) at the University of Amsterdam and specializes in socially engaged artistic practices. She has held advisory positions in arts funds, and is on the Board of Trustees of Centraal Museum Utrecht. WAYNE MODEST is the director of content at the National Museum of World Cultures and the Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam. He is also head of the Research Center for Material Culture, the research institute of these museums and professor at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. MARGRIET SCHAVEMAKER is professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice by special appointment at the University of Amsterdam. In addition, she has been the artistic director of the Amsterdam Museum since 2019.

EMMA VAN BIJNEN is a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, researcher, and research and publications officer at Amsterdam Museum. She specialises in multidisciplinary and works on discourse and argumentation, with a focus on conflict (resolution), in/exclusion and multimodality.PEPIJN BRANDON is professor of Global Economic and Social History at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam and Senior Researcher at the International Institute of Social History. He has published widely on the history of slavery in the context of the history of global capitalism, with special attention to the Netherlands.Karwan Fatah-Black (b. 1981) is lecturer in social and economic history at Leiden University and senior researcher at the Royal Dutch Institute of South-East Asia and Caribbean Studies. He is a scholar of Dutch colonial history specialized in the Atlantic world and slavery. He is a prolific author and participant in public debates on the future of the colonial past.IMARA LIMON is a curator at the Amsterdam Museum. She studied Art History (BA), Heritage and Museology (MA), and Cultural Analysis (rMA) at the University of Amsterdam and specializes in socially engaged artistic practices. She has held advisory positions in arts funds, and is on the Board of Trustees of Centraal Museum Utrecht.WAYNE MODEST is the director of content at the National Museum of World Cultures and the Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam. He is also head of the Research Center for Material Culture, the research institute of these museums and professor at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.MARGRIET SCHAVEMAKER is professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice by special appointment at the University of Amsterdam. In addition, she has been the artistic director of the Amsterdam Museum since 2019.