Meeting dedicated to colonial legacies and future policies for heritage and museums, focusing on the impacts of the Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka.

The Past to Come!

Understanding colonial collections, Portuguese legacy in Sri Lanka and shaping future policies

This meeting is dedicated to colonial legacies and future policies for heritage and museums. It brings together international and national experts who have been engaged in in-depth discussions on colonial collections, the restitution of cultural objects, and new ways of addressing the legacy of colonialism in museum institutions. With a focus on historical memory, heritage justice, and collaborative methodologies, this event provides an opportunity to discuss the impacts of the Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka, the restitution of cultural property, and the future of museum policies in post-colonial contexts.

FREE

Programme

15h00 | Opening

15h15 | Colonial collections and restitution – The international, the national, and the local | Jos van Beurden (Independent researcher; founder of Restitution Matters)

15h45 | Revisiting Portugal’s colonial period of Sri Lanka | Dilip Tambyrajah (Netherlands-Sri Lanka Foundation)

16h15 | Confronting Colonial Legacies in Museums – Transdisciplinary Methodologies | Elisabete Pereira (IHC — Universidade de Évora / IN2PAST)

16h45 | Debate

17h30 | Closing

>> Abstracts and biographies (PDF) <<

Organising committee:

Alexandra Marques (IHC — University of Évora / IN2PAST)
Ana Temudo (IHC — University of Évora / IN2PAST / CITAR — UCP)
Elisabete Pereira (IHC — University of Évora / IN2PAST)
Maria Figueira (IHC — University of Évora / IN2PAST)