Symposium 'The Future of The Dutch Colonial Past'

On June 18th, the exhibition The Golden Coach in the Amsterdam Museum opened its doors. The present-day debate about the carriage’s symbolism, and that of the Tribute pictured on the Colonies panel in particular, is part of the country’s belated reckoning with its colonial past. How to face this colonial past and its afterlives in the present in a responsible and accountable manner is a question that is being tackled by different Dutch cultural and academic institutions, each in their own way. How do we connect the approaches of cultural institutions, artists and academics to further our collective conversation and turn it into tangible results?

In this symposium, we zoom in on recent research projects, performances and museum exhibitions in the Dutch context, and relate them both to each other and to international perspectives and developments. Moving from provenance research to archiving, curating, theory and artistic reflections, the symposium aims to facilitate an interdisciplinary conversation about the Dutch colonial past and the ways in which this history is dealt with and shapes our practices today.

The keynote speech for this symposium will be given by Ciraj Rassool. Moderators include Valika Smeulders, Inez van der Scheer, Wayne Modest, Esther Peeren, Mitchell Esajas, Margriet Schavemaker, and Imara Limon

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This symposium is a collaboration between Amsterdam Museum, ASCA, NIOD, Rijksmuseum, The Black Archives, University of Amsterdam, National Museum of World Cultures & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam City Archives. 

This event is a 'Testen voor Toegang'-event. You will be required to present a valid COVID Certificate.