Dissonant Legacies: Engaging with Difficult University Heritage

Introduction

A university’s heritage also includes “controversial” or “dissonant” objects whose meaning has not yet been sufficiently explored. Consider for example the collections linked to or grounded in a colonial past, discriminatory practices, and authoritarian regimes. They bear witness to a history that hurts, that we are no longer proud of and would prefer to forget. Recognising that the past cannot be cancelled, this exhibition reflects on the approaches adopted by Una Europa universities to create a greater awareness of their contested heritage. Particular attention is paid to narratives and practices aiming at preserving a memory of totalitarian regimes, decolonising meanings, and names, overcoming the gender gap, and curating silences. Rather than listing the examples of dissonant heritage, this exhibition aims at sharing the practices and narratives used by universities as possible ways of dealing with their past and promote equitable research and educational environments.