Date: 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)
Date: 9 april 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 the 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 9 April, Daniël Hendrikse will present the lecture Op het kruispunt van onrecht: ‘koloniale kunst’ en de Tweede Wereldoorlog.
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Onderzoek naar kunstroof tijdens WOII en naar koloniale collecties wordt meestal gescheiden, waarbij wetenschappelijke specialisatie en morele bezwaren samenhangend onderzoek in de weg staan. Tijdens deze lezing wordt aan de hand van concrete voorbeelden gezocht naar het historisch kruispunt tussen beide onderzoeksvelden. Daarbij wordt ingegaan op de vraag: Wat te doen met objecten waarbij mogelijk sprake is van gelaagd bezitsverlies: eerst onder invloed van kolonialisme en vervolgens door toedoen van de Duitse bezetter?
Opening expo: Her Love, Her StoryDate: 8 February 2026
Time: 3 PM – 5 PM
Location: OBA Oosterdok (Public Library Amsterdam), Theatre
Organisation: Our HERitage, OBA
Language: Dutch
On 8 February, the photo exposition Her Love, Her Story will be opened at the OBA Amsterdam. The exposition was created by the project Our HERitage and presents 11 portraits of Caribbean foremothers. Their stories show how love, family and identity shape new generations. The exposition will be at the photo gallery of the OBA from 3 February until 9 March.
The opening programme starts Sunday 8 February in the Theatre on the 7th floor, with welcoming words by Our HERitage-founder Fausia S. Abdul. Keynote speaker is prof. Valika Smeulders (Rijksmuseum & Colonial Collections Consortium). Additionally, speakers include authors Liesbeth Smit and Susi & Simba Mosis and participants Tiarra Simon and Robby Kibbelaar. The afteroon will be closed with an intense performance of Reframing HERstory Art Foundation, about slavery and being women.
Workshop: Relational heritage spacesDate: 27 January 2026
Time: 10 AM – 17 PM
Location: Oude Boteringestraat 36, Faculty of Religion Studies, University of Groningen
Organisation: Netherlands Chapter of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies
Language: English
On 27 January 2026, the Netherlands Chapter of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies is hosting their first workshop. The theme of this workshop is relationality in heritage spaces. The programme includes keynote lectures by Hester Dibbits (Reinwardt Academy) and Cindy Zalm (Wereldmuseum & Colonial Collections Consortium). Restitution is one of the central topics for this meeting.
Seminar: Rijksmuseum, its collection and researchDate: 15 January 2026
Time: 15:30-17:00 (CET)
Location: KITLV, Herta Mohr building (Room 1.30) and online via Zoom
Organisation: KITLV
In 2026, the Royal Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) is celebrating their 175th anniversary. In the Anniversary Seminar Series, KITLV invites people who have worked with them in the past 25 years, as visiting fellows, or involved in joint research projects. For the first seminar, KITLV has invited Valika Smeulders (Rijksmuseum) for an afternoon discussing the Rijksmuseum, its collections and its research.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is renowned world wide for its art collection, with the seventeenth century at its heart, featuring Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals. As many European national museums built in the 19th century, its focus has been on the pride and glory of the Netherlands. Still, the 17th century is also the century of the foundation of the Dutch East India and West India Companies.
How does a Dutch museum re-invent itself to align with new insights and societal changes? How are the museum field and research focuses and policies changing? In her talk, Valika Smeulders will be reflecting on the work the museum has been doing in recent years, and looking forward into the coming years.
Symposium: The landscapes and cultural heritage of Saba and St. EustatiusDate: 19 February 2026
Time: 15:00-19:00
Location: Amersfoort, Oranjestad (St. Eustatius) and online
Organisation: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and the Public Entities of Saba and St. Eustatius.
Language: English
Saba and St. Eustatius are two small islands in the Caribbean. Within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, they share the status of “special municipality” together with Bonaire. The history of Saba and St. Eustatius goes back thousands of years, and much of this past can still be seen in the landscape. Experts from Saba and St. Eustatius, from the wider Caribbean, and from the European Netherlands have researched and documented this cultural heritage. On 19 February 2026, they will present their findings at a symposium organized by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and the Public Entities of Saba and St. Eustatius.
On Saba, The Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean, people have continually adapted to changing circumstances. Its nature is pristine, and the island is renowned for its cloud forest on the volcano and the coral reef of the Saba Bank. St. Eustatius, The Historical Gem of the Caribbean, has a very different history. It was once the center of Caribbean trade. Goods from all over the world were traded here, and it was also an important port in the trade of enslaved people. Today, both islands have their own distinctive architecture, landscapes, celebrations, and traditions.
For the first time, the landscapes and heritage of Saba and St. Eustatius have been brought together in two books and in digitally accessible maps. This is necessary, as the spatial challenges are significant. Tourism, housing development, demographic changes, and climate change threaten the character of both islands.
A live connection will be established on this day between St. Eustatius and Amersfoort, allowing residents of both the Caribbean Netherlands and the European Netherlands to learn about the shared histories of Saba and St. Eustatius.
Humboldt University Berlin | Network Colonial Contexts Anniversary meetingDate: 26 November 2025
Time: 16:00-19:00
Location: Humboldt University Berlin
Organisation: Humboldt University Berlin, Network Colonial Collections
Language: German/English
On 26 November 2025, the Network Colonial Contexts of the Humboldt University in Berlin is celebrating its 5th anniversary. To mark this occasion, they invite those interested to an in-person event in Berlin for the first time. During the event, they will look back on the events of the last few years and take a look into the future.
The programma includes a guided tour through the photo collection of the art library and a roundtable discussion with Sarah Fründt (German Lost Art Foundation), Andrea Scholz (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) and Richard Kuba (Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology), followed by drinks and dinner.