Museums, Empire and Northern Irish Identity

Dr Briony Widdis, ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (NINE).
'Museums, Empire and Northern Irish Identity' aims to improve understanding of how colonial collections relate to contemporary social issues impacted by the museum sector. These include community identities, the representation of diverse groups, the role of museums in divided societies, museum decolonisation and collaboration surrounding these collections.

The Fellowship aims to develop and contribute to new academic and professional networks focused around colonialism, empire and museums.

The project is being delivered in partnership with National Museums NI, the Irish Museums Association, the Northern Ireland Museums Council and the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates at the University of Maynooth.

This project aims to locate knowledge about the colonial objects in Northern Ireland’s museums, to support community engagement with them, and to build collaborative partnerships leading to their fuller research.