Date: 23 November
Location: Wereldmuseum Leiden (Steenstraat 1B, 2312 BS Leiden)
Organisation: Colonial Collections Consortium
Language: English
From 19-23 November, the Colonial Collections Consortium is organizing the international event Towards Transparency: Access to Collections from Colonial Contexts. Transparency for collections from colonial contexts has been central to the work of the Consortium in redressing historical injustice. This event will launch two instruments which the Consortium developed or this: the Colonial Collections Datahub and the Research Aids. In addition, the event provides space to exchange ideas and perspectives on the meaning of transparency in this context. The in-person event on 23 November is preceded by two days of online exchange on 19 and 20 November.
On Monday 23 November, we will continue the conversations held during the online program days on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November. Rather than focusing primarily on introducing tools and resources, the program of the in-person event creates space for deeper dialogue, critical reflection and exchange around the questions that transparency raises: Whose knowledge is represented? What remains missing? What are the responsibilities of institutions? And how can different forms of knowledge contribute to more transparent practices?
During the in-person event, participants will learn more about the development of the Datahub and the Research Aids, engage in discussions around the importance of transparency for collections from colonial context, and look ahead to see in what other way we can work together to increase transparency around these collections.
More information about the program and registration details will be coming soon. Do you want to stay up to date about this event? You can sign up for our Towards Transparency mailing list below.
Towards Transparency: Access to Collections from Colonial Contexts | OnlineDate: 19 and 20 November
Location: Online
Organisation: Colonial Collections Consortium
Language: English
From 19-23 November, the Colonial Collections Consortium is organizing the international event Towards Transparency: Access to Collections from Colonial Contexts. Transparency for collections from colonial contexts has been central to the work of the Consortium in redressing historical injustice. This event will launch two instruments which the Consortium developed or this: the Colonial Collections Datahub and the Research Aids. In addition, the event provides space to exchange ideas and perspectives on the meaning of transparency in this context. The in-person event on 23 November is preceded by two days of online exchange on 19 and 20 November.
The online program on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November opens the conversation to an international audience through stories, research cases and conversations and with demonstrations of the Datahub and the Research Aids. Participants can discover how information about collections is being made accessible, hear different perspectives on transparency and provenance research, and explore the possibilities and challenges of working with digital collection information.
The in-person event on 23 November takes these conversations further. More information about the in-person event can be found here.
Full program and registration details will be coming soon. If you wish to stay informed about this event, you can sign up for our Towards Transparency mailing list below.
Conference: Unsettling Heritage and Memory FuturesDate: 17-19 June, 2026
Location: University of Amsterdam
Organisation: Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, University of Asterdam, Dutch Research Council (NWO)
Language: English
The Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, which is part of the University of Amterdam, is organizing its 12th annual conference titled Unsettling Heritage and Memory Futures: Decolonial Trajectories Between Crisis and Possibility. This three-day conference takes place at the University of Amsterdam between 17 and 19 June 2026, and intends to foster dialogue through individual papers, themed panels and roundtable discussions across diverse geographical contexts. The program includes panels about the return of objects collected from colonial contexts, diasporic memories and colonial museums.
The conference departs from the idea that decoloniality is not merely an academic lens but a profound reorientation of knowledge and power. While rooted in twentieth-century South American scholarship, decoloniality now inspires a generation of scholarship and social movements. After years of vibrant scholarship and activism, we stand at a pivotal juncture. This conference brings together scholars, practitioners, artists, and activists to reflect on what decolonial approaches have disrupted, dismantled, and dreamt anew—and to critically assess their strengths, limitations, and futures. As resurgent nationalisms and neocolonial forces challenge gains made in diversifying heritage institutions, democratising memory practices, and centring marginalised voices, how do we sustain decolonial futures that remain precarious? This international conference examines decoloniality as a transformative praxis that reshapes our engagement with heritage, memory, and material culture. You can find the full program below.
This conference is free of charge. You can register your attendance here.
Seminar series: Ethics in ActionDate: Starting from 21 April 2026, several dates in April, June and July
Location: Online
Organisation: WiNoDa Knowledge Lab
Language: English
Modern research has developed advanced frameworks and procesudres to ensure high ethical standards that protect humans, nature, and cultural heritage. However, when it comes to scientific collections, researchers often assume that these materials are largely “unproblematic” and that ethical issues are minimal. Yet, as one examines collection practices and historical contexts, many complex ethical issues become apparent. These include colonial histories of acquisition, power imbalance, overlooked indigenous rights, the reproduction of discriminatory stereotypes, potential risks to endangered species, and the complex interplay between nature, human history and contemporary politics.
In this seminar series, WiNoDa Knowledge Lab explores the ethics of data derived from scientific collections, covering topics ranging from dinosaur fossils to looted artefacts, as well as threathened species and genetic resources. Speakers will highight the importance of understanding the historical and ethical context of collection data, discuss the challenges of working with such materials responsibly, and present practical approaches and tools for addressing these complexities. The series aims to foster dialogue and collaboration towards more just, transparent, and responsible practices in the management and use of collection data. Several sessions focus specifically on the role of indigenous communities, restitution and objects in scientific collections collected from colonial contexts.
All sessions will be held online and in English. Participation is free, but registration is required. Click the button below to learn more about the themes, dates and times of the different seminars.
Workshop Provenance Research Colonial CollectionsDate: 15 October and 3 November
Location: 15 October on location in Leiden and 3 November in Amersfoort
Organisation: ErfgoedAcademie and the Cultural Heritage Agency
Language: Dutch
Colonial collections consist of heritage collected from former (Dutch) colonial contexts. These objects changed ownership in possibly problematic circumstances during the colonial periode. Museum professionals and others working in collection-managing institutions have an important task of conducting provenance research into these collections. This workshop, organised by the ErfgoedAcademie and the Cultural Heritage Agency, is meant to support them in conducting this important task.
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Werk jij bij een museum of archief (bijvoorbeeld als curator of registrator) en heb je in je werk te maken met koloniale collecties? Heb je behoefte aan meer context? Zoek je nog naar argumenten om het belang van herkomstonderzoek duidelijk te maken? Weet je simpelweg niet hoe en waar te beginnen? Wil je handvatten voor onderliggende dilemma’s? Dan is deze cursus iets voor jou!
In de cursus staat herkomstonderzoek naar koloniale collecties centraal. Tijdens de eerste dag leer je over de geschiedenis achter koloniale collecties, het huidige beleid en de verantwoordelijkheden van diverse spelers in het stelsel. Ook krijg je concrete tips over de omgang met koloniale collecties van een museum met veel ervaring op dit gebied.
Tijdens de tweede cursusdag gaan we actief aan de slag met de Datahub van het Consortium Koloniale Collecties. Daarnaast zoomen we in op jouw eigen praktijk aan de hand van een casus die je voorbereid hebt. Bovendien bespreken we met elkaar een aantal belangrijke dilemma’s waar je mogelijk mee te maken krijgt.
Looted Art Unraveled #3Date: 28 May 2026
Time: 16:00
Location: Resistance Museum Amsterdam
Organisation: Expertisecentrum Restitutie (ECR) of the NIOD and the Resistance Museum Amsterdam
Language: Dutch
The Expert Centre Restitution (ECR) of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Resistance Museum Amsterdam present Roofkunst Ontrafeld, a series of lectures on lesser-known sides of looted art and restitution. Historians connected to the NIOD will present recent research and surprising insights and engage in dialogue with the audience, moderated by Yuki Kho. On 28 May, researcher Maarten van der Bent will present the lecture De Dubois-collectie: 28.000 fossielen en een Indische stem.
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In september 2025 besloot de Nederlandse overheid dat een verzamelding van maar liefst 28.000 fossielen uit de collectie van Naturalis teruggaat naar Indonesië. Deze Dubois-collectie, die onder leiding van de Nederlandse paleontoloog Eugène Dubois eind negentiende eeuw in Indonesië werden opgegraven, werd al decennialang door Indonesië teruggevraagd. Minder bekend is echter dat de roep om restitutie in de koloniale tijd klonk. Wat was het belang van deze ‘wetenschappelijk collectie’ voor Nederlanders, Indische Nederlanders en Indonesiërs?
Indigenous Futures: Towards Policy on Ancestral Remains in the NetherlandsDate: 12-13 May, 2026
Time: 10:00-17:00
Location: Wereldmuseum Leiden
Organisation: Wereldmuseum Leiden, Research Center for Material Culture, Colonial Collections Consortium.
Language: English
Together with members of the Colonial Collections Consortium, Wereldmuseum Leiden and Research Center for Material Culture are organizing an international workshop to contribute to policy frameworks on the repatriation/rematriation and handling of ancestral remains in the Netherlands. Because of the way in which ancestral remains entered museum collections, developing a national policy framework necessitates centering the perspectives of Indigenous and formerly colonized people. This workshop brings together theory and policy input, to understand current policy frameworks in other localities and contemporary (institutional) restitution practices to develop a more comprehensive national policy shaped by Indigenous people from across the world.
How might a policy look when we foreground the lived realities and voices of those past and presence whose lives were most affected by colonial and post-colonial practices of collecting, researching displaying human and ancestral remains in museums and other heritage institutions? Should ancestral remains “acquired” under colonial situations be researched or exhibited within museums today? And how might policies embed Indigenous struggles for self-determination and sovereignty in their framework? These are only some of the questions that this workshop focuses on. More information about the workshop is available below.
International Provenance Research DayDate: 8 April 2026
Location: Online and in-person. Various museums, universities and other heritage institutions in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and the Unites States.
Language: English
On Wednesday 8 April it is International Provenance Research Day. On this day, an initiative of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung, museums, universities and other heritage institutions organise events and publications to give attention to the importance of provenance research in responsible collection management. Part of this, is the importance of provenance research for a careful handling of collections from colonial contexts. These events have different formats, such as workshops, lectures, book presentations and guided museum tours. Below, you can find two examples of events that are also accesible online. Click the button below to take a look at all the events that focus on colonial collections.
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is organising the online discussion Legal Provenance and TWAIL. This discussion explores provenance through the lens of TWAIL (Third World Approaches to International Law). As the question of a cultural object’s provenance may be complicated by histories of imperial acquisition and competing property law regimes, we hope that this perspective will provide the language and theoretical toolkit needed to address pertinent issues facing cultural institutions today, as well as foster an open dialogue on the postcolonial dimensions of cultural heritage law. More information is available hier.
University of Leipzig
The Institute of Anatomy at the University of Leipzig is hosting the online conversation Entangled Histories: A Conversation on Ancestral Remains from today’s South Africa at Leipzig University. The insititute is currently conducting provenance research into their collection of skulls, the initial findings of which will be shared during the event. Additionally, the discussion will focus on the intertwined histories of racist research practices, international acquisition networks and colonial wars. More information is available hier.
Date: 9 – 11 June, 2026
Location: State Museum Hannover
Organisation: Museumverband Niedersachsen und Bremen, in samenwerking met het Netzwerk Provenienzforschung in Niedersachsen.
Language: English
The Indonesian phrase pasang surut — “the tide in and out” — evokes the continuous movement of people, objects, and ideas across the seas that once linked Europe and the Indonesian archi-pelago. These currents shaped the emergence of colonial collec-tions but also suggest the possibility of renewed circulation: of knowledge, accountability, and dialogue.
The international conference Pasang Surut: Provenance Research as a Contribuition to Decolonisation and Trajectories of Restitution brings together academic and collection experts, as well as key figures from the fields of art, culture, and politics from Indonesia, Germany, and the Netherlands, to discuss the transformative potential of post-colonial provenance research as a contribution to processes of re-connection and decolonisation. Please register by 15 May 2026 at annekathrin.krieger@landesmuseum-hannover.de More information is available in de save the date below.
Webinar: Exploring Restitution, Colonial Collecting and the CaribbeanDate: 20 March 2026
Time: 10:00 AM EST/11:00 AM AST
Location: Online, via Zoom
Organisation: UWI Museum in partnership with the Centre for Repatriation Research
Language: English
The Museum of the University of the West Indies (UWI Museum) is organizing an online discussion in partnership with the Centre for Repatriation Research. The discussion explores growing global conversations around restitution, colonial collections in archives, museums and galleries and its implications for Caribbean. The session will focus on restitution debates and interventions from the Dutch, French and English speaking Caribbean as it relates to heritage, memory, and repair.
The session includes a presentation on the Colonial Collections Datahub by Camiel de Kom (Digitale Heritage Coach for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands) and Arminda Franken-Ruiz (Heritage Specialist & Former Director, National Archaeological Museum, Aruba)
