CfP: When publics co-produce history in museums: skills, methodologies and impact of participation

The 2022 symposium focuses on groups and communities who become active participants in the production of history in museums. Many institutions have developed inclusive frameworks that allow for a diversity of publics to contribute to collecting, researching or managing objects, or designing exhibitions. Different publics do not simply consume history in museums (as visitors or users) but may also contribute to preserving, producing, and exhibiting history.

We invite proposals that especially deal with community-based practices and collaborative projects with identified groups (under-represented and marginalised groups, school children and students, groups of historical witnesses, volunteers etc.). Proposals about communities of practice (citizen scientists, volunteers, Wikipedians) in history museums are also encouraged. The symposium will explore questions such as what groups and communities can bring to the production of history in museums and their impact on historical narratives and on the institutions representing them. We are also interested in examples of participatory decision-making in co-production and co-creation and of accessibility and inclusion. What can public participants (not) do? What skills and knowledge are necessary? What are the examples of collaborative decision-making processes that allow contributions from the different publics and how do they affect the role and functioning of museums?

We welcome submissions from museum (or other cultural institutions) professionals, scholars, groups and communities’ representatives, and other participants of co-production and co-creation projects around history and its representations.