Research project "Museums and Controversial Collections"

UNESCO has launched its Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects – the first of its kind worldwide.

This unprecedented initiative uses cutting-edge virtual reality to showcase over 240 looted cultural objects in 2D and 3D, alongside testimonies from the communities they were stolen from.

Beyond raising awareness among citizens and youth, the museum aims to:
✔️ Educate the public on the scale and impact of illicit trafficking
✔️ Encourage States to strengthen protection and inventory policies
✔️ Promote provenance research in the art market
✔️ Foster international cooperation for restitution

Made possible through the support of Saudi Arabia, the United States, Greece, INTERPOL HQ, and 44 countries worldwide, the museum was designed by architect Francis Kéré.

Explore this milestone in heritage protection: https://museum.unesco.org/

📢 A Difficult Heritage – Ethical Issues on Colonialism, Racism and the Marginalised in Museums
🗓️ Date: 22 September 2025
🕔 Time: 17:00 CET
📍 Online via Zoom https://ucl.zoom.us/j/97583752753

The Ethnographic Museum Zagreb presents the exhibition “Travellers” – Collection of Non-European Cultures, tracing the journeys of people and objects from colonial times to the present day.
👉 The exhibition raises key questions:
-How were national museums and collections of non-European cultures created?
-How have museums shaped the Western perspective of the “exotic -Other” and reinforced cultural stereotypes?
What role should ethics and responsibility play in museums today?
👥 Speakers:
🔹 Željka Jelavić, Ph.D.
🔹 Marija Živković
👉 Join us for this important conversation and help us rethink the role of museums in contemporary society!

The latest issue of the "International Journal of Heritage Studies" (Volume 31, Issue 3, 2025) is out! This issues features a series of articles on "virtual repatriation", "the symbolic violence of heritage consultancy", "the heritage value of emptiness", etc. PS: If you’d like to read the piece about the museum in Tervuren (Belgium) but don’t have access through your institution, let us know.

International Journal of Heritage Studies Volume 31, Issue 3 of International Journal of Heritage Studies