Decolonising knowledge in Switzerland 2024-2025/Data
Exhibitions in Switzerland
[edit]| Exhibition | Museum | Location | Opening | Until | Link | Wikidata | WM Commons |
| Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin | Aargauer Kunsthaus | Aargau | 03.09.2023 | 07.01.2024 | https://aargauerkunsthaus.ch/en/exhibition/stranger-in-the-village/ | Q132775037 | |
| Spatial Convers(i)or | CAN Centre d’art Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel | 21.09.2024 | 10.11.2024 | https://can.ch/en/project/spatial_conversior/ | Q132775076 | |
| Cargo Cults Unlimited | Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel | 17.12.2023 | 31.12.2024 extended to 18.01.2026 | https://www.men.ch/fr/expositions/cargo-cults-unlimited | Q132775400 | |
| Naming nature. Natural History and Colonial Legacy | Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Neuchâtel (MHNN) | Neuchâtel | 15.12.2024 | 18.08.2025 | https://naming-natures.ch/ | Q131928761 | |
| Remembering. Geneva in the Colonial World | Musée d'ethnographie de Genève MEG | Geneva | 03.05.2024 | 05.01.2025 | https://www.meg.ch/en/expositions/remembering | Q131597402 | Geneva in the Colonial World |
| colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements | Landesmuseum Zürich | Zurich | 13.09.2024 | 19.01.2025 | https://www.landesmuseum.ch/colonial | d:Q131994479 | Colonial at Landesmuseum Zurich |
| In Dialogue with Benin. Art, Colonialism and Restitution | Museum Rietberg | Zurich | 23.08.2024 | 16.02.2025 | https://rietberg.ch/en/exhibitions/indialoguewithbenin | Q131824580 | In Dialogue with Benin |
| Colonial Traces - Collections in Context | ETH Zurich | Zurich | 30.08.2024 | 13.07.2025 | https://extract.ethz.ch/en/exhibition.html | Q131795290 | Colonial Traces at ETH Zurich |
| Benin Dues. Dealing with Looted Royal Treasures | Ethnographic Museum University of Zurich | Zurich | 24.08.2024 | 14.09.2025 | https://www.musethno.uzh.ch/en/Exhibitions/benin-dues.html | Q131824643 | Benin Dues - Dealing with Looted Royal Treasures |
| Resistances. On Dealing with Racism in Bern | Bernisches Historisches Museum | Bern | 25.04.2024 | 01.06.2025 | https://www.bhm.ch/en/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/resistances | Q132775552 | |
| Kakao, Kunst und Kolonialismus. Die Schifffahrtssammlung Philipp Keller | Verkehrshaus / Hans Erni Museum | Lucerne | 21.11.2024 | 07.06.2026 | https://www.verkehrshaus.ch/besuchen/museum/hans-erni-museum/sonderausstellung.html | Q132795736 | |
| Autobiographie d’une selle métis (Collections invisibles 2024) | Musée cantonal d'archéologie et d'histoire (MCAH) | Lausanne | 11.10.2024 | 13.04.2025 | https://mcah.ch/expositions/expositions-temporaires/autobiographie-dune-selle-metis/ | Q132795835 | |
| Tracey Rose. Shooting Down Babylon | Kunstmuseum Bern | Bern | 2.02.2024 | 11.08.2024 | https://www.kunstmuseumbern.ch/en/ausstellung/tracey-rose | Q132795844 | |
| Roots | Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger - KBH.G | Basel | 30.08.2024 | 17.11.2024 | https://www.kbhg.ch/en/1429d/Exhibitions-ROOTS | Q132795943 | |
| Artiste activist archivist: Bernhard Lüthi invite | Fondation Opale | Lens | 16.06.2024 | 10.11.2024 | https://www.fondationopale.ch/en/exhibitions/artist-activist-archivist/ | Q132796484 | |
| Ethnic Marketing. Art, Globalisation and Intercultural Supply and Demand | Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève | Geneva | 21.10.2004 | 05.12.2004 | https://archives.saltresearch.org/handle/123456789/189642 | Q132796509 | |
| Lavoro minorile ieri, e oggi? (Child labor yesterday, and today?) | Museo di Val Verzasca | Sonogno | 17.04.2021 | permanent | https://www.museovalverzasca.ch/museo-di-sonogno | All'interno del Museo di Val Verzasca Q25399919 | |
| Adapted version of the exhibition colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements | Château de Prangins | Prangins | 27.03.2026 | 11.10.2026 | https://www.chateaudeprangins.ch | ||
| Experiences of Switzerland – Forced fostering | Landesmuseum Zürich | Zurich | 14.01.2025 | 27.04.2025 | https://www.landesmuseum.ch/en/exhibitions/temporary/2025/forced-fostering/forced-fostering | Q132796563 |
- Philipp Keller, Swiss long-distance trade merchant (1895-1980) - Q132795821
- Gus Dark (Q132796381)
Institutions
[edit]| Location | Museum | Wikidata | Situation 2024 |
| Aarau | Aargauer Kunsthaus | Q29574934 | Some documentation on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Basel | Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger - KBH.G | Q120734712 | Only one photo on Wikidata (no label). No link to category on Wikimedia Commons. Only present in the German Wikipedia. |
| Bern | Bernisches Historisches Museum | Q670058 | The wikidata item points not to the general category on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Bern | Kunstmuseum Bern | Q194622 | Some documentation on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Geneva | MEG - Musée d'ethnographie de Genève | Q1955752 | Organiser of the GLAMHack 2023. Extensive documentation on Wikimedia Commons (exhibitions, collections...). |
| Geneva | Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève | Q683970 | Only a few images on Creative Commons. |
| Lausanne | Cantonal Museum of Archeology and History (MCAH) | Q3329513 | Very rich documentation on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Lens | Fondation Opale | Q107080881 | Only one photo on Wikidata (no label). Minimal documentation on Wikimedia Commons. Only present in the French Wikipedia. |
| Lucerne | Hans Erni Museum | Q3329191 | No category about the museum on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Lucerne | Verkehrshaus | Q670595 | Very rich documentation on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Neuchâtel | CAN - Centre d’art Neuchâtel | Q130247632 | Added category on Wikimedia Commons. |
| Neuchâtel | Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel / Ethnographic museum of Neuchâtel (MEN) | Q239080 | At the moment images of the exhibition Himàlaia. Visions de l'alteritat als col·leccions of MEN. |
| Neuchâtel | Muséum d'histoire naturelle / Natural history museum of Neuchâtel (MHNN) | Q3330885 | Extensive documentation on Wikimedia Commons |
| Sonogno | Museo di Val Verzasca | Q25399919 | Extensive documentation on Wikimedia Commons |
| Zurich | Landesmuseum Zürich / National museum Zurich | Q691896 | Organiser of the GLAMHack 2018. Good documentation about the museum on Wikimedia Commons. The content related to exhibitions could be increased. |
| Zurich | Museum Rietberg | Q668300 | Actively involved in the GLAMHacks :) Extensive. documentation on Wikimedia Commons about the collections |
| Zurich | ETH Zurich | Q11942 | Organiser of the GLAMHack 2021. Extensive documentation and collaboration with the Wikimedia projects. |
| Zurich | Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich / Ethnographic museum of the University of Zurich | Q2536345 | Few images on Wikimedia Commons, mainly exteriors. |
Associations and groups
[edit]| Associations and groups | Wikidata | Wikimedia Commons | Link |
| Noircir Wikipédia | association: Q130667794
Wikipedia project: Q63870968 |
Noircir Wikipédia | https://noircirwikipedia.org/ |
| AfroBasel Verein | Q131784518 | ||
| CARAH – Collective for Anti-Racist Art History, University Zürich, Kunsthistorisches Institut | Q113170087 | https://www.khist.uzh.ch/de/research/projects/carah.html | |
| Das Wandbild muss weg! | Q132775584 | https://www.daswandbildmussweg.ch/ | |
| ZH Kolonial (decolonial city tour project Zürich Kolonial) | Q131794084 | https://www.zh-kolonial.ch |
Related research projects
[edit]| Research project | Dates | Lead institution | PI | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curating Colonial Nature: Legacies of Empire in Swiss Natural History Collections, 1870s-1950s | ETH Zurich | Monique Ligtenberg | Q132796627 | |
| Medicine, Masculinities, and Colonial Knowledge: Transimperial Histories of German-speaking Physicians in the Dutch East Indies (c. 1873-1914) | ETH Zurich | Monique Ligtenberg | ||
| Behaving badly: ‘European deviance’ in colonial Singapore, c. 1890-1940 | ETH Zurich | Zhi Qing Denise Lim | ||
| Kolonialismus ohne Kolonien? Eine postkoloniale Diskursanalyse der Schweiz / Colonialism without colonies? A postcolonial discourse analysis of Switzerland | 2010-2013 | ETH Zurich | Patricia Purtschert | |
| Kolonialismus ohne Kolonien? Eine kulturwissenschaftliche Analyse der postkoloniale Schweiz / Colonialism without colonies? A cultural studies analysis of post-colonial Switzerland | 2013-2014 | ETH Zurich | Patricia Purtschert | |
| Decolonisation working group at ETH. Please refer to Decolonising knowledge/Colonial Traces at ETH Zurich. | ETH Zurich | |||
| Fighting Insect Enemies at the Tropical Frontier: Swiss and German Entomologists in Plantation Economies c. 1880-1930 | 2023-2027 | ETH Zurich | Tomás Bartoletti | |
| Nommer les Natures: Sur les traces du Humboldt suisse | 2022-2025 | ETH Zurich
Agora |
Tomás Bartoletti | Q132798171 |
| Insect Pests and Economic Entomology in Plantations, c. 1870-1930s: A Multispecies History of Global Capitalism | ETH Zurich | Tomás Bartoletti | ||
| Swiss entanglements in nineteenth century Latin America: Johann Jakob von Tschudi’s voyages, translocated practices of knowledge and the construction of Andean Indigeneity | 2018 | ETH Zurich | Tomás Bartoletti | Q132797261 |
| Benin Initiative Switzerland (BIS) | Museum Rietberg | / | Q131824613 | |
| Welfare and Coercion – Past, Present and Future | 2017-2022 | SNF National Research Programme 76 https://www.nfp76.ch | / | Q132796577 |
| Moral and economic entrepreneurship in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. A collaborative history of Global Switzerland c. 1830-1900 | 2022-2026 | Bernhard Schär | ||
| Swiss 'Tools of Empire'. A transnational history of mercenaries in the Dutch East Indies, 1814-1914 | 2017-2021 | Bernhard Schär | ||
| Kopfjäger und Schädelsammler. Eine Fallstudie zur schweizerischen Naturforschung im Kontext des Hochimperialismus / Head hunters and skull collectors. A case study of Swiss natural history research in the context of high imperialism (working title) | 2010-2012 | Bernhard Schär | ||
| Neuchâtel face à la colonisation: circulations, intrications et mémoire | 2023-2027 | Kristina Schulz, Matthieu Gillabert | Q132798186 | |
| Afrika hinter Glas. Eine künstlerische und ethnographische Untersuchung von Herstellungs-, Darstellungs- und Instandhaltungspraktiken der Berner Dioramensammlung / Africa behind glass. An artistic and ethnographic study of the production, presentation and maintenance practices of the Bernese diorama collection | 2020-2024 | |||
| Les relations culturelles internationales de la Suisse (1945-1990) | 2006-2009 | Matthieu Gillabert | ||
| Research Film Provenance. Annotating the film collection of the former Swiss Tropical Institute | 2024-2025 | Mario Schulze | ||
| Un 'colonialisme' occulté. La Suisse et l'Italie, 1923-1950: transactions financières, relations commerciales et réseaux d'affaires | 2006 | Dario Gerardi | ||
| Colonialism without Colonies. An international Workshop | 2013 | Conference Villa Hatt, ETH Zürich |
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| Comics and Swiss colonialism(s) | 2020-2022 | Université de Genève | Sandro Cattacin | |
| Suisse et décolonisation: le cas de l’Association des Suisses spoliés d’Algérie ou d’outre-mer (ASSAOM) | 2016-2019 | Université de Genève | Sandro Cattacin, Stefanie Prezioso | |
| Swiss Mercenaries in the Dutch East Indies. A Transimperial History of Military Labour, 1848-1914 | 2024 | ETH Zurich | Philipp Krauer | |
| Géographie et impérialisme. De la Suisse au Congo entre exploration géographique et conquête coloniale | 2021 | Fabio Rossinelli | ||
| Les sociétés suisses de géographie et l'impérialisme colonial européen | 2017-2018 | Fabio Rossinelli | ||
| Sharing Knowledge in the Arts:'THEswissTHING (1994-98)' | 2023-207 | FHNW | Lucie Kolb | |
| Traditional Cultural Expressions in a Digital Environment | 2007 | Conference | Christoph Beat Graber, University of Lucerne | |
| The (In)Audible Past | 2022-2026 | Ute Holl, Gary Andrew Minkley, Helena Pohlandt-McCormick, Lorena Rizzo | ||
| Objekt-Bild-Text. Verflochtene Wissensproduktion in Hans Himmelhebers Archiv zwischen Kunst Afrikas, Ethnologie und globalem Markt / Object-image-text. Interwoven knowledge production in Hans Himmelheber's archive between African art, ethnology and the global market | 2018-2023 |
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| Provenienzforschung: Eine Wissenschaftspraxis in der Diskussion / Provenance research: A scientific practice under discussion | 2021 | Conference | Roger Fayet, Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft SIK-ISEA, Switzerland | |
| The Temporal Dimension of Sovereignty in Light of the Restitution of Cultural Artefacts | 2020-2022 | Francesco Romani | ||
| Collecting Humanity: How Human Remains Are Made into Museum Objects | 2011-2015 | Marianne Sommer, University of Lucerne - LU | ||
| A Global History of Swiss Diplomacy | 2015-2019 | Madeleine Herren-Oesch | ||
| Zwischen Glaube, Handel und Internationalismus. Die Basler Mission als globaler Akteur, 1910-1925 / Between faith, trade and internationalism. The Basel Mission as a global player, 1910-1925 | 2014-2017 | Madeleine Herren-Oesch, University of Basel - BS | ||
| International Trade in Indigenous Cultural Heritage: Legal and Policy Issues | 2009-2013 | Christoph Beat Graber, University of Lucerne - LU | ||
| Restauration transculturelle et postcoloniale: une fabrique matérielle de l'histoire (2000-2010) | 2011-2012 | Noémie Etienne, United States of America | ||
| Restauration transculturelle et postcoloniale: une fabrique matérielle de l'histoire (2000-2010) | 2012-2013 | Noémie Etienne, United States of America | ||
| Faire exotique? Production, usages et matérialité de l'ailleurs en France et Suisse au 18e siècle | 2016-2020 | Noémie Etienne | ||
| Faire exotique? Production, usages et matérialité de l'ailleurs en France et Suisse au 18e siècle | 2020-2023 | Noémie Etienne | ||
| Une Suisse exotique? Une histoire globale des Lumières | 2019-2021 | Noémie Etienne, Claire Brizon, Chonja Lee | ||
| Les arts au prisme de la décolonisation. De la recherche en provenance aux approches collaboratives | 2022 | Exchange | Sara Petrella, University of Neuchatel - NE | |
| Digital Twins: negotiating identity and translocated heritage in the global age | 2023-2026 | Sarah Kenderdine, Ankita Sharma, Yaniv Benhamou, Chhanda Chakraborti, Mayurakshi Chaudhuri, Santanu Chaudhury, Debashish Das, Nirmala Menon | ||
| Entangled Histories and Archives: Swiss-Southern African histories and the contexts of global Anti-Apartheid archives | 2013 | Dag Henrichsen, Peter C. Limb |
Patricia Purtschert / Barbara Lüthi / Francesca Falk (Hg.), Postkoloniale Schweiz: Formen und Folgen eines Kolonialismus ohne Kolonien, 2012.
| Researchers / curators | Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Tomás Bartoletti | Q132774289 |
| Monique Ligtenberg | Q131795604 |
| Alice Hertzog | Q131994713 |
| Denise Bertschi | Q132236718 improved |
| Martine Anderfuhren | Q132796524 |
| Matthieu Gillabert | Q132798199 |
Decolonising the metadata
[edit]- Wikidata-properties developed by BirkWeiberg at the GLAMhack at MEG 2023 https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/User:Birk_Weiberg/Self-determination_of_Ethnic_Groups
- Decolonising digital archives - workshop https://criticalmedialab.ch/decolonizing-digital-archives/
- Decolonising the Internet structured data https://whoseknowledge.org/resource/dti-structured-data-report/
Related international projects
[edit]- Decolonising the Internet promoted by Whose Knowledge https://whoseknowledge.org/initiatives/decolonizing-the-internet/