Negotiating the Meaning of Objects during Museum Education on Colonial Heritage and History – Insights from a Professional Learning Community

Abstract

Postcolonial debates have increasingly sparked reflection on the role of colonial heritage objects in museum exhibitions and (museum) educational practices. In this article, we contribute to these debates by reporting findings from a case study conducted in Belgium, involving a heterogeneous professional learning community of prospective and experienced history teachers, museum guides and a museum educator. Through analyzing discussions between participants over the course of a five-month program, we contribute to ongoing debates on object-based learning based on colonial collections. It presents discussions that took place in the learning community regarding the role of objects in guided tours, the ethical dimensions of showcasing “difficult” objects, the role of emotional-affective learning experiences and regarding the position of the learner in museum educational programming. How participants position themselves within these discussions is compared and analyzed in relation to their broader beliefs on and conceptions of museums as sources of knowledge, and as places for learning and teaching about (colonial) heritage and history.

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