Critical documentation on racism. A handbook for GLAM institutions Edit

Addressing decolonization and critically reflecting on collection and documentation practices has become increasingly important in the GLAM sector. Based on provenance research into cultural assets confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution, colonial contexts are also increasingly becoming the focus of a wide variety of museums and collections. In this context, several Swiss memory institutions founded the “Critical GLAM” working group in 2022 to develop a practice-oriented handbook for anti-racist documentation practices.

Aimed at staff working in documentation, collections, and archives, the first version of the handbook focuses on colonial forms of racism, particularly anti-Black racism. It shows how documentation processes shape historical narratives, reinforce selection mechanisms, and influence representation and participation. Contributions from research contexts contextualize these challenges within the broader discourse of decolonization and shed light on the historical colonial influences on GLAM institutions.

The handbook provides guidance on how to deal with sensitive terms, historical designations, and colonial-influenced knowledge systems based on ICOM guidelines. it formulates practical options for action, draws attention to structural distortions, and supports institutions in continuously reflecting on their practices. Designed as an open tool, it aims to contribute to more inclusive, discrimination-critical, and socially responsible documentation work in the long term.

Source

This source is currently only available in German.

@article{nationalmuseum_rassismuskritische_2025,
	title = {Rassismuskritische {Dokumentation}. {Ein} {Handbuch} für {GLAM}-{Institutionen}},
	url = {https://zenodo.org/records/17657486},
	doi = {10.5281/zenodo.17657486},
	urldate = {2026-01-22},
	publisher = {Zenodo},
	author = {Nationalmuseum, Schweizerisches and Lee, Chonja and Ligtenberg, Monique and Isler, Danielle and Etienne, Noémie and Satele, Ruby and Museum, Bernisches Historisches and Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte and Basel, Historisches Museum and Bibliothek, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich and Zürich, Archiv der ETH and Zürich, Kunsthaus and Schweiz, Fotostiftung and Bern, Museum für Kommunikation and De Brinto Henn, Mariama},
	month = nov,
	year = {2025},
}