This episode will take its cue from Carlotta, the digital cultural archive situated in Sweden. We delve into the ethical challenges that emerge when colonial-era archival data is digitized and made accessible without (critical) discourse, thus reinforcing its acceptance as unchallenged truth. We will start from the assumption that technology is not neutral but instead has affordances which shape human interaction. This understanding leads us to explore the development of technological tools through a lens of critical design that can help us present and imagine a different kind of cultural archive. This critical design approach can help find instruments which help not only cultural archives, but also the original owners of these histories to switch the narratives inside cultural institutions. To usher in the decoloniality of information systems, we posit that cultural heritage institutions should adopt an outside-in approach to co-designing and co-governing these systems, thus necessitating partnerships with the Global South. This cooperative approach can foster digital environments where we consciously unlearn old practices and adopt new ways of working together.

Featuring

• Susannah Montgomery, Deputy Director and Researcher at the Sustainable Media Lab, Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Over the past few years, Susannah has focused on developing strategic partnerships, programming, and research opportunities across the Creative Business domain at Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Most recently, she helped to launch Inholland’s newest living lab, the Sustainable Media Lab, which is dedicated to making technology safe, helpful, and sustainable for society, ensuring that everyone’s rights are protected – even in the digital world.
• Dr Adriana Muñoz, Curator for the Americas at the National Museums of World Culture in Sweden and a judge for the European Museum of the Year Award. Born in Argentina, she has been working with the collections in Göteborg since her arrival in Sweden almost 30 years ago. Her focus within her curatorial role is giving access to collections, exhibitions, education, and increasingly, working on repatriation and provenance projects. Her research investigates the possibility of changing the narrative of the museums in the digital world.
• Dr Anna Bohlin, host.

The podcast is produced by the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies at the University of Gothenburg, in collaboration with Medieteknik. Kindly supported by The Swedish Research Council via the project Objects of Science and Culture.

Please visit our website for more information, photos and references:  https://www.gu.se/en/critical-heritage-studies/remaking-of-knowledge-podcast

• Host: Anna Bohlin, Department of Global Studies and the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Producer: Jenny Högström Berntson, Centre for Critical Heritage Studies University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Executive producer: Christine Hansen, Department of Historical Studies and the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Recording and mix: Nicola Maniette, Medieteknik, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Jingle composed by: Nicola Maniette, Medieteknik, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
• Podcast logo by: Mikael Zanqrelle, Medieteknik, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.