2025/03/11 by Hailey Jenell Borden · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Geographies of human-animal interactions #Museums and Cultural Heritage #Participatory Visual Research Methods
paper · doi:10.1080/08884552.2025.2463001
openalex publication_date 2025/03/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
Museums are powerful institutions that have historically used their self-appointed authority to show negative representations of Indigenous populations in their exhibits, broadcasting incorrect and harmful social representations of those populations to the public. This harm still occurs in museums, but there is a trend toward more inclusive actions that give control back to these populations and lets them tell their own stories. In my research, I interviewed ten museum professionals from institutions across Arizona to better understand decolonizing museum practices in the state and how they are actively working to incorporate inclusive, Native-made representations of Indigenous peoples in their exhibits. By looking at museum exhibitions, the intent behind them, and how visitors might view them, this research also reveals how museums reify power, who is given that power in museum spaces, and why culturally and historically knowledgeable and sensitive representations of Indigenous materials are so important. While harm can and is still being done through museum actions, many exhibits effectively portray Indigenous survivance and promote Native-made representations of Native communities.