The Project on the Colonial History of European Universities Is Launched

The University of Bologna is a partner in the project 'Colonial Legacies of Universities: Materialities and New Collaborations' (COLUMN), co-funded by the ERC's Horizon Europe programme and the Swiss National Science Foundation for a total of €4,483,595.

Led by Utrecht University and Professor Gertjan Plets, and involving the Universities of Anton De Kom (Suriname), Graz (Austria), Pretoria (South Africa), Geneva (Switzerland), Charles (Czech Republic), Aarhus (Denmark) and Studio Louter – the latter responsible for curating a travelling exhibition – the research group will investigate the colonial history of European universities and how to address and move beyond the legacies it has left behind.

Collaboration with partners from formerly colonised countries is at the heart of the project, which sees research into the cultural and scientific heritage of universities as a unique opportunity to develop relationships and collaborations with them aimed at overcoming colonial hierarchies.

The academic team from the University of Bologna will be led by Prof. Maria Giovanna Belcastro, anthropologist from the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences - BiGeA and scientific coordinator of the University’s Anthropological Collection, with the collaboration of Prof. Patrizia Battilani from the Department of Economics - DSE, expert in dissonant heritage and member of the UnaEuropa Self-Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage; Prof. Monica Azzolini from the Department of Philosophy - FILO, who deals with the history of science; and Prof. Juri Nascimbene from BiGeA and scientific coordinator of the Botanical Garden and Herbarium. They have the aim of exploring the rich history of the anthropological collections and the Botanical Garden of the University Museum Network - SMA.

Universities and science, especially in Europe, expanded considerably during the colonial period, leaving dissonant traces in the heritage inherited by many European universities: some buildings bear the names of controversial historical figures, some collections contain objects and meanings that are today at odds with the values of democratic societies, and botanical gardens are silent witnesses to the acquisition of essences and plants from locations reached through scientific expeditions.

The theme of decolonisation offers an exceptional opportunity to reflect on the sustainability and future of the heritage of European universities and to share choices and solutions with colleagues from universities outside Europe: – in Asia, Africa and South America. Indeed, thanks to a partnership that includes universities and institutions from countries that have experienced colonisation (Suriname, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico), this project aims to create new synergies and transform existing narratives of scientific progress by developing best practices for the management of the tangible and intangible heritage of campuses, anthropological collections and botanical gardens linked to the colonial past.