Decolonial knowledge production of ethnographic collections. Rethinking Museums

Decolonial knowledge production of ethnographic collections. Rethinking Museums

My research project aims to visualize different epistemic practices and asks exemplary to what extent these different practices are related to each other given that these relationships are often characterized by power and asymmetrical orders of knowledge. The approach of decolonization is questioning these orders by requiring collaborative work with people from PNG. I am aware of the existing unequal social relations between myself and the project participants as well as between the different groups of participants.These inequalities manifest themselves in several dimensions, including power distribution, ethnicity, gender and access to resources. As a white, academically qualified woman with a Master’s degree and coming from an affluent country such as Germany, I bring a privileged position to the research. This fact can potentially lead to a perception of power differentials, especially in a context where many of the participants may have less access to education and global resources.

Researcher
Katharina Nowak
Institution
Social and Cultural Anthropology at Universität Tübingen
City
Madina village, New Ireland, New Ireland Province
Country
Papua New Guinea
Keywords
anthropology and project
Website
https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/philosophische-fakultaet/fachbereiche/asien-orient-wissenschaften/ethnologie/dima-a-doctorate-in-the-museum/