Call for Papers: Indigenous Peoples’ Cultural Heritage and its Representation in Museums, deadline January 12, 2018

Deadline for proposals: Proposals has to be sent by 12th of January 2018.
Seminar place: The seminar will be held at the Seminaarinmäki Campus in Jyväskylä, in the Main building, Hall C1.
Time: 19th—20th of April 2018

The Jyväskylä University museology seminar will be held 19th—20th of April 2018. The seminar is organised by the students of museology from the department of music, art, and culture at the University of Jyväskylä. The seminar is organised in collaboration with ICOM Finland and the Union of Academic Museum Employees in Finland. The theme of the seminar this year is cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and its representation and use in the museum field.

The objects and intangible heritage of indigenous peoples form an essential part of museum collections around the world. This year’s theme discusses matters such as the ownership of indigenous peoples’ objects, the portrayal of indigenous peoples in exhibitions, cultural knowledge and the indigenous peoples’ participation in the functions of a museum. Additionally, it is essential to take into consideration the ambiguity and the multifaceted meanings that relate to cultural environments. To begin with, the definition of indigenous peoples itself raises questions: does it refer to those who inhabited an area before the national boundaries were formed, or to the current ethnic minorities?

Time and again the concept of cultural appropriation becomes a topic of public discussion. The museum field needs to assess its role, position and actions as an institution of society. The location of collections and museum objects of indigenous peoples is a controversial and current issue worldwide. For example, in Finland, the National Museum has repatriated an important Sámi collection to the Sámi Museum, Siida. This was stated to enhance the availability of the cultural heritage of the Sámi people and the possibilities for the Sámi to maintain their heritage. The seminar aspires to call forth a discussion of the problematic issues that surround the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and also offers professionals and students a great opportunity for networking.

You may give a proposal for example, on the following aspects regarding the matter at hand:

● How indigenous peoples’ cultural heritage is represented in museums?
● Who has the right to display the objects of indigenous peoples?
● What is the role and responsibility of museums in terms of researching or preserving the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples? Or in terms of evaluating and protecting the cultural environment?
● What kind of problems might arise, exhibiting the objects of indigenous peoples?
● Has the intangible heritage been taken into consideration properly in the act of collecting, displaying, and conserving these the objects? How can one prevent potential distortions?
● Do art museums and cultural history museums have different starting points when it comes to displaying indigenous peoples’ cultural heritage and art?
● How should the indigenous peoples and their culture be taken into consideration in museum education?

Museology has been part of the Jyväskylä University curriculum since the 1980s. The university students are organising the museology seminar for the 22nd time. The seminar is vital for students of museology, as it strengthens their expertise by introducing current perspectives and possible issues that might arise within the museum field.

Proposals has to be sent by 12th of January 2018. There are two possible types of presentation lengths: keynote presentation (max. 50 minutes) or standard presentation (20–30 minutes). There will be time for questions and discussion after each presentation. The languages used at the seminar will be Finnish and English. The length of abstracts for presentations should be ca. 250 words in a Word or PDF file.

Also proposals for panels, workshops and other interactive activities are welcome.

The proposals should indicate:

• type of activity
• title of activity
• a brief abstract (ca. 250 words)
• the organisers of the activity
• the estimated length of the activity (max. 90 minutes)
• the target group of the activity
• the equipment needed for the activity

More information:
If you have any questions regarding the seminar or its topic, please contact tiedotus.seminaari (a)gmail.com

Please send the abstracts to the same address.