Power, Empire, and Colonialism in London’s Museums
BRST 165 (CRN: 30600)
Instructors: N/A
Dates:
Course Mode:
Meeting Times: TTh 2.00-4.15
Distributional Requirements: Humanities
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students
Debates around Britain’s colonial legacies and decolonization of Britain’s institutions have been at the forefront of public consciousness. Through a series of trips to London’s museums, this course explores the imperial and colonial foundations of the city’s museum collections and their legacies. Students discover how London’s museums constituted the world and Britain’s place within it and constructed and reaffirmed national, imperial, and colonial identities, and continue to do so. Students also examine the various ways museums are attempting to address their colonial legacies through debates around repatriation, restitution, and decolonization, as well as how museums are trying to widen their publics and communities of knowledge in order to disrupt longstanding narratives of power and dominance.
Yale Summer Session 2025