(De)colonial resonances in the Mediterranean Basin
from 15 September to 3 December
from 17:00 to 18:30
Online
Department of Historical, Geographical and Ancient Sciences Unipd
The Department of Historical, Geographical and Ancient Sciences of the University of Padua is organising the online seminar series (De)colonial resonances in the Mediterranean Basin: Botanical collections, Tourism, and Territories on the Move consisting of 5 meetings from 15 September to 3 December.
Bringing together perspectives from the history of science, environmental history, museology and mobility studies, this seminar series examines the historical processes through which natural history collections were established and the colonial networks that shaped their formation. The series also explores how such collections can be reinterpreted through decolonial approaches, with particular attention to rethinking museum narratives and promoting more critical, inclusive and reflective forms of public engagement. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the seminars aim to contribute to the contemporary debate on the interpretation, representation and current significance of colonial heritage in natural history museums.
The meetings are part of the DiSSGeA Department Development Project "Mobilities" (PSD 2025–2027) and take place on Zoom.
15 September - Angelo Caglioti, Barnard College, Columbia University
Empires of Science: Knowledge Infrastructures and Colonial Collecting in Liberal and Fascist Italy
7 October - Tatiana Tabacchino, University degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
A Global Visual Database: The Network of Colonial Zoological Museums as a Resource for Applied Entomology in the Thought of Filippo Silvestri
27 October - Catarina Madruga, Technische Universität Berlin
What is Global about Global Biodiversity? Collection-Based Knowledge as Colonial Resonances
11 November - Sarah Easterby-Smith, University of St Andrews
Recontextualising the Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Archive
3 December - John van Wyhe, Charles Darwin Online & National University of Singapore
A. R. Wallace and the Biography of Natural History Specimens: From Forest to Museum Drawer