Decolonizing Representations of Slavery in European Museums

How do museums confront a past they once helped to obscure? Across Europe, institutions long shaped by colonial histories are increasingly being called upon to address the legacies of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade – yet their responses remain uneven, contested, and incomplete.

Bringing together scholars, curators, and artists, this collection traces a trajectory from silence and repression to emerging practices of recognition, critique, and decolonization. Structured across four thematic sections, it explores how national narratives have shaped museum displays, how institutions in key port cities and capitals have responded to growing public and political pressure, and how new museographies seek to centre the experiences of the enslaved rather than the familiar narratives of abolition.

Combining critical essays with artistic interventions, the volume highlights the role of contemporary art in unsettling established histories and opening new forms of engagement with difficult pasts. Case studies from across Europe reveal both innovative approaches and persistent limitations, raising urgent questions about the capacity of museums – institutions deeply rooted in colonial epistemologies – to address histories they once helped to suppress.

By situating museum practice within broader debates on memory, race, and decoloniality, this collection offers a timely contribution to discussions of cultural responsibility, historical justice, and the future of the museum as a space of critical reflection.